Patient Positioning

Course Overview

Correct patient positioning is essential for access to the appropriate surgical site. It also facilitates prevention of potential complications for the patient, including intraoperative pressure injuries and haemodynamic instability, and prevents unsafe risks to those handling the patient.

This Course will ensure your knowledge of safe patient positioning is up-to-date, to prevent complications to intraoperative patients undergoing surgery.

Topics

• Why are optimal patient positions intraoperatively so important?

• How can we identify and prevent pressure injuries?

• What are the considerations for specific surgical positions?

• How can we prevent injuries to the handler, including nurses?

Need

There are inherent risks associated with any surgical procedure. Preventing intraoperative complications, such as pressure injuries and haemodynamic instability is a key priority throughout a surgical case.

The provision of care that is underpinned by best-practice is known to reduce the likelihood of harm to patients and adverse events occurring. There is a timely need for nurses to gain new knowledge and have existing knowledge reinforced on how to facilitate and maintain safe patient positioning intraoperatively if harm is to be minimised to the patient and the healthcare worker.

Purpose

The purpose of this Course is to ensure knowledge of safe patient positioning intraoperatively is up-to-date, to prevent complications to patients undergoing surgery, and health professionals such as nurses working in the intraoperative environment.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify high-risk individuals who may have specific positioning requirements so as to reduce risks associated with undergoing a surgical intervention.

• Effectively communicate when the risk to the handler is identified to ensure staff safety is not compromised intraoperatively.

Target Audience

This Course is relevant to nurses and other healthcare workers working in perioperative environments who are caring for patients undergoing surgical interventions, especially those working intraoperatively.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educator

Suzanne Querruel

Suzi Querruel has been working in the perioperative field for the past decade. Her passion lies in perianaesthesia nursing, and she has been seeking to advance the field over the past few years. She is a tutor and lecturer for Western Sydney University [WSU] in the Bachelor of Nursing program and WSU The College in their Academic Pathways Programs. She is the unit coordinator at WSU The College for the subjects 'health communication' and 'skills in health science'. She was previously anaesthetic coordinator at Westmead Private Hospital and also has held sessional nurse educator positions at the Australian College of Nursing, Wesley Health Management, and the University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney University, and the University of Tasmania. She has been a nurse educator for Ausmed Education for the past three years and has collaborated on the program development for the perianaesthesia, perioperative, day surgery, and surgical nursing seminars. She has held the position of national vice president and NSW/ACT president of the Australian Society of Post Anaesthesia & Anaesthesia Nurses [ASPAAN] for two years and has recently seen the transition of ASPAAN to the Australian College of PeriAnaesthesia Nurses [ACPAN]. Suzi holds a bachelor of nursing, graduate diploma in nursing (anaesthetics & PACU), masters of nursing education), certificate IV in workplace training & assessment, and a neuro-linguistic programming [NLP] practitioner certificate.