Representing our value

AORN Journal, August, 2004 by William J. Duffy

As an owner, with you, of the perioperative nursing profession, I have learned that our actions as perioperative nurses send a message about the value of our profession. We all have heard the saying that power perceived is power achieved. People's assessment of a situation or an individual is more powerful than fact, because perception is something they believe is true. You may not know it, but your actions are being observed. You only have a short period of time to influence those around you who are forming perceptions about your individual practice as well as about perioperative nursing.

Every day, perioperative nurses are on stage representing who they are as individuals and who they are as professionals. We are measured whether we like it or not, so it is to our advantage to use these moments to achieve positive change.

ENERGIZING MEMBERS

Perioperative nurses across the country took advantage of the opportunity created by AORN's campaign to draw the public's attention to health care industry efforts to eliminate wrong patient, wrong procedure, and wrong site surgery. AORN produced the Correct Site Surgery Tool Kit, which outlines the steps hospitals and other sites where invasive procedures are performed should implement to ensure compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO's) Universal Protocol. The tool kit was mailed to every AORN member and every JCAHO-accredited site that performs surgical or other invasive procedures. AORN sent out 55,000 tool kits, and an amazing thing happened. Perioperative nurses all over the country spontaneously planned events to celebrate this effort and to educate health care practitioners, as well as patients, about AORN's efforts.

This spark of energy and involvement is what I saw at Congress in San Diego when we discussed AORN taking a leadership role in addressing practice issues in the OR environment. Spearheading efforts to eliminate wrong site, wrong patient, or wrong procedure surgery is AORN's first step toward fulfilling that promise. More importantly, however, AORN members continue to show their energy and enthusiasm. Members are not apathetic; they are just waiting for something to get excited about. Efforts to improve the practice environment and show the value of perioperative nurses to the public seem to be the key to reenergizing AORN and its members.

BREAKING THE MEDIA BARRIER

AORN also took this initiative to the mainstream media by developing a media campaign designed to educate members of the public about JCAHO's Universal Protocol and the value perioperative RNs bring to the surgical environment. We knew educating health care practitioners about the "time out" process via the tool kit was important, but we also knew we could not forget our role in educating the public. Working to prevent surgical errors provides a wonderful opportunity to let members of the public know about the value of perioperative nurses. We hoped for success, but we never realized how successful we would be.

The message made national news. AORN members and staff members developed a videotaped news release that discusses efforts to implement the Universal Protocol. This news release was picked up by more than 200 television stations with more than seven million viewers across the country. Additionally, some AORN members were interviewed by their local television stations on how local perioperative nurses are making a difference in their community.

On National "Time Out" Day, I did a five-minute live interview on the Fox News Network along with Tom McLaren, RN, CNOR, an AORN member from Florida whose hospital's use of a time out prevented a wrong site surgery. On July 1, 2004, I was honored to represent perioperative nurses by doing another live interview on CBS's The Early Show. Both of these interviews were seen nationally and internationally.

We did not stop with television in trying to get our message out to the public. President-elect Sharon McNamara, RN, MS, CNOR, and I did a radio interview with the Associated Press (AP) Radio. The AP also sent a story about National "Time Out" Day over its news wire. This was picked up and carried by newspapers across the country. USA Today interviewed Treasurer Paula Graling, RN, MSN, CNOR, and me at the hospital in Virginia where Graling works. The reporter spent half a day watching perioperative nurses work and discussing perioperative nurses' value to surgical patients.

COMMUNICATING AORN'S MESSAGE

It is hard to quantify the millions of future patients who heard AORN's message during this media blitz. AORN Headquarters was swamped with calls from individuals looking for more information, and staff members even received inquiries from people in Europe and Asia. I know deep in my heart that our efforts helped prevent a wrong site surgery from occurring. We may not "know who the people are who were touched by AORN's message, but we do know that millions of people across the the United States and around the world now know what perioperative nurses and AORN are doing to prevent surgical errors.