Nurses perception of their role in the operating theatre department : a local perspective

Abstract

The amount of literature exploring nursing practice in theatre is considerable, yet little research has been done to explore nurses' perceptions of their role in this department. While non-research based literature was available in abundance, actual studies pertaining to the subject were few and far between. This small-scale study was designed to explore the opinions of Maltese theatre nurses on their role in the operating theatre department. The study was conducted in the main operating theatre at St. Luke's Hospital and the sample population of 27 included all Maltese nurses working in this department, except for those who worked solely in the sterilisation unit. A descriptive non-experimental approach was chosen using a questionnaire. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis was undertaken. From the findings of this study it appears that nurses are, on the whole, satisfied with their work and work environment and generally adopt a holistic approach although the nature of theatre work itself tends to be rather task oriented. The study points towards the need for longer, more participative student allocations to theatre, the need for post-basic theatre education, a need for re-organisation of staffing duties and perhaps the need to consider adopting a more perioperative approach.