The 1998-1999 Board of Directors of...

The 1998-1999 Board of Directors of AORN, Inc, believed that an official statement in succession the role of the health care industry representative in the OR was be in want ofed to assist members, facility administrators, health care industry manufacturers, and others in developing safe policies and proceedings for health care industry representatives to provide technical assistance in the OR. The 2000 Congres House of Delegates approved the "AORN Statement onward the Role of the Health Care Industry Representative in the Operating Room" The aim of this article is to explain by what means the statement was developed and to allude to ways to implement statement dictates in the practice setting

After the 1999 Congres Patricia Seifert, AORN President 1999-2000 created a task force to generate a propos statement addressing health care industry representatives in the OR. Board members Vicki Fox RN MSN ACNP-CS and William J Duffy RN MJ CNOR were appointed to the task force. Ramona blue perch perioperative nursing specialist in the Center for Nursing Practice, was assigned to provide assistance to the task force. Seifert's charge to the task force was to disclose a position statement addressing the part of the health care industry representative in the OR. Seifert emphasized that the proces to exhibit a statement should be thorough and fair.

Using the universals discussed by the 1998-1999 and the 1999-2000 Board of Directors and AORN staff members, and after reviewing numerous sample policies provided through industry and hospitals, the task force generated the first of many drafts. The Board of Directors reviewed and noteed on an initial draft document at the June 1999 meeting and approved the task force recommendation for a reaction panel to review and note on the draft.

The reaction panel included 42 individuals from

* health care industry manufacturers,

* the Exhibitors' Advisory Committee, and

* the American body of Surgeons, and 56 individuals from

* the supply with nourishments in Business, Industry & Consulting, Specialty Assembly,

* the Management Specialty Assembly

* the feed at the breast Educator/Clinical Nurse Specialist Specialty Assembly,

* the Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assembly,

* the Orthopedic Specialty Assembly, and

* other interested AORN members.

Reaction panel members were asked to evaluate the propos statement for relevance and feasibility. The propos statement included 11 maxims Each member was provided a model of the proposed statement and asked to unimpaired an evaluation of the statement ordinances and to make any explanations or recommendations. Industry and other individuals who suited included representatives of

* the American corporation of Surgeons,

* Interpore,

* Johnson & Johnson

* Karl Storz,

* Owens & Minor,

* Sterile Recoveries,

* Steris,

* Stryker Osteonics,

* Taut, Inc,

* United States Surgical Corp,

* Valleylab,

* Zimmer, and

* 3M Healthcare.

Of those asked to be agreeable to 53% (ie, 37 members, 14 industry leaders, and others) actually sent in forms. The reaction panel respondent validated nine of the 11 mandates as highly relevant. Eight of 11 were rated as highly feasible. dictates that received low ratings were revised to ponder the reaction panel comments. The revised propos "AORN Statement in succession the Role of the Health Care Industry Representative in the Operating Room" was approved with revisions at the October 1999 AORN Board of Directors meeting and neared to the House of Delegates at the 2000 Congres The House of Delegates approved the statement (Table 1) The statement will be published in the 2001 edition of the AORN Standards, make acceptableed Practices, and Guidelines. Following is the final approved "AORN Statement forward the Role of the Health Care Industry Representative in the Operating Room" and a discussion of each of the 11 precepts

Table 1

POSITION STATEMENT forward THE ROLE OF THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE IN THE OPERATING ROOM

AORN recognizes the ne for a structur hypothesis within the perioperative setting far education, training, and introduction of courses techniques, technology, and equipment to practicing health care professionals. In defined conditions, AORN believes that health care industry representatives, by means of virtue of their training, knowledge, ant expertise, can provide technical assistance to the surgical team, which expedites the measure and facilitates desired patient issues The purpose of this statement is to affirm the valuable character health care industry representatives play in the care of surgical patients and to assist the perioperative team in maintaining the patient's safety, right to privacy, and confidentiality when a health care industry representative is quick in emergencies during a surgical procedure.

A health care industry representative may be at hand during a surgical procedure subordinate to conditions prescribed by the facility. AORN recognizes there is a wide range of geographic and regional variations regarding the activities of the health care industry representative in the operating stead This statement provides general guidelines to assist the individual facility in developing policies best suited to its community standards. Along with be of importance tos pertinent to the facility, AORN commends that the following precepts guide policy development: