Positioning patients for robotic-assisted surgery: A qualitative study of operating room nurses' experiences.
Benedikte Bjøro, Ingvild Ballestad, Tone Rustøen and 2 others
PMID 36631733WHAT IT FOUND
Operating room nurses described positioning patients for robotic surgery as high-stakes because the patient cannot be moved once the robot is docked.
They relied on positioning patients while awake to check for pain and called for routines to relieve pressure if surgery runs long.
Key findings
01Nurses reported that the inability to alter patient position during the robotic part of the surgery makes correct initial positioning critical to prevent injury.
02Some nurses positioned patients while they were still awake so the patient could report discomfort or pain immediately.
03Participants identified a lack of routine postoperative checks and discharge tracking for symptoms of positioning injuries, such as nerve pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only seven nurses from a single hospital, all female, which limits how widely the findings apply. The interviews were translated from Norwegian to English, which may have affected the nuance of the participants' descriptions. The findings reflect nurses' perceptions and experiences, not objective measurements of injury rates or patient outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these nurses' experiences as evidence that positioning patients while awake prevents injury or that current routines are safe. This is a small qualitative study describing what nurses think and feel, not a trial testing whether these practices improve patient outcomes.