The Role of Nurses in Perioperative Infection Control: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Abstract

Infection prevention is a critical aspect of healthcare, particularly in perioperative settings. This comprehensive literature review explores the role of nurses in maintaining asepsis and preventing infections during surgical procedures. The study focuses on the application of aseptic techniques within surgical units in the KSA region, where nearly 90,000 surgeries were performed in 2016. The purpose of this review was to develop an aseptic checklist for registered nurses in the perioperative units in KSA. The literature review covers key topics such as perioperative nursing, asepsis, aseptic conscience, sterility, personal hygiene, and protective equipment. The findings emphasize the importance of proper hand hygiene, including surgical hand disinfection and handwashing, as well as the appropriate use of personal protective equipment like aprons, gowns, face masks, and gloves. Maintaining an aseptic conscience among staff is crucial for minimizing infection transmission risk. Operating rooms should be meticulously prepared, and unnecessary movement in and out of the room should be minimized. Perioperative nurses play a vital role in infection prevention, with scrub nurses maintaining the sterility of the surgical field and instruments and circulating nurses overseeing the aseptic practices of the entire surgical team. The final aseptic checklist, informed by the literature review, comprises two themes with 10 true/false statements each and one additional theme with five true/false statements. Regular assessments of nurses' knowledge of aseptic practices should be conducted, and the checklist could be integrated into daily practices across different perioperative units to enhance patient safety and minimize infection risk.