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The Role and Impact of Nurse-Surgeons in the Field of Surgical Nursing
The landscape of surgical nursing is undergoing a significant shift with the increasing involvement of nurse-surgeons. Nurse-surgeons, as the name suggests, are nurses who perform surgical procedures, and recent research indicates that they can perform diagnostic surgeries for cancer and emergency procedures just as effectively as their physician counterparts12.
One of the most significant benefits of having nurse-surgeons is that they can improve patient access to surgery. By increasing the number of professionals capable of performing surgeries, waiting times can be significantly reduced3.
In addition to this, nurse-surgeons have been found to perform safe, satisfactory, and high-quality surgeries with minimal perioperative complications4. This speaks to their training and competence in surgical procedures.
Moreover, nurse-surgeons' background in nursing provides them with a unique perspective on patient care. Their training emphasizes patient-centered care, which can be particularly beneficial in the surgical setting5.
Additionally, nurse-surgeons can contribute to improving surgical care efficiency. They can take on a substantial workload, thereby freeing up surgeons to focus on more complex cases3.
However, the involvement of nurse-surgeons in surgical nursing is not without its challenges. One potential concern is the impact of their training on the education of junior doctors. If nurses take on more surgical roles, it could potentially limit the opportunities for junior doctors to gain surgical experience6.
Another challenge lies in the perception of nurse-surgeons. While they are capable of performing many surgical procedures, there may be resistance from patients who expect a physician to perform their surgery7.
Lastly, while nurse-surgeons are highly trained, they cannot perform all types of surgeries. There are still complex surgical procedures that require the expertise of a fully trained surgeon8.
In conclusion, nurse-surgeons can play a crucial role in enhancing surgical care, but their involvement also presents certain challenges. As the field continues to evolve, it will be important to address these challenges to fully leverage the skills and expertise of nurse-surgeons.
Footnotes
"Roles of nurse‐surgeons in global surgical care: A scoping ..." https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jan.15906 ↩
"Current methods of nurse-surgeon training and education" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666142X21000308 ↩
"Impact of nurse-surgeons on patient-centred outcomes" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666142X2200025X ↩ ↩2
"Impact of nurse-surgeons on patient-centred outcomes" https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8xzw7/impact-of-nurse-surgeons-on-patient-centred-outcomes-a-systematic-review ↩
"Meet the nurse who will soon perform surgery on patients ..." https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2017/aug/30/nurse-perform-surgery-patients-alone-surgical-care-practitioner ↩
"Nurse-surgeons" https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/nurse-surgeons.html ↩
"Ask A Nurse: Do Nurses Perform Surgery?" https://nursejournal.org/ask-a-nurse/do-nurses-perform-surgery/ ↩
"Operating Room Nurses' Understanding of Their Roles and ..." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10350747/ ↩
