Nontechnical skills of the operating theatre circulating nurse: An ethnographic study.

AIM: This paper aims to uncover circulating nurses' nontechnical skills-namely, the cognitive and social skills that floor nurses need to deliver patient care in the operating room.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that nontechnical skills play a key role in the safe execution of high-risk health practices, such as anaesthesia, resuscitation, and surgery. Regarding the surgical team, research has thus far focused on the nontechnical skills of anaesthesiologists, surgeons, and scrub nurses, leaving unexplained the cognitive and social skills that circulating nurses need to acquire and use.

DESIGN: Ethnographic study.

METHODS: Empirical materials were collected in the operating department of a hospital located in northern Italy, drawing on direct observation, document analysis and informal interviews with the circulating nurses. Data collection lasted 3 months, from May - July 2017.

RESULTS: Nontechnical skills of circulating nurses can be described using five categories: leadership, situation awareness, task management, communication, and teamwork.

CONCLUSION: This paper explicitly addresses circulating nontechnical skills needed to support the design of educational and training pathways for nurses.