AORN Journal

AORN Journal AORN Journal: The Official Voice of Perioperative Nursing.

Since 1963, the award-winning AORN Journal has provided perioperative registered nurses with high-quality, peer-reviewed articles featuring practice information, research study summaries, management and staff development guidance, and more. Indexed in MEDLINE®, this must-read, monthly publication is packed with valuable updates, continuing education articles, and practical information.

During multiple concurrent procedures on a patient, using one combined running count may reduce the risk of addition or ...
05/29/2026

During multiple concurrent procedures on a patient, using one combined running count may reduce the risk of addition or subtraction errors and allow the perioperative team to validate that items have not been retained in the patient.

The AORN “Guideline for the prevention of unintentionally retained surgical items” conditionally recommends that perioperative teams count all items together during the final count when the operative or other invasive procedure involves multiple procedures or sterile fields. The recommendation further clarifies that perioperative teams should maintain sterile technique when counting items used during operative or other invasive procedures for which multiple procedures are performed or sterile fields are used.

For more guidance on preventing retained surgical items during procedures with multiple sterile fields, read this month’s Clinical Issues.
https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70085

Author: Zach Swartz, MHI, BSN, RN, EBP-C, CNOR

This Guideline at a Glance highlights important elements of the full guideline for the AORN Guideline for local-only ane...
05/25/2026

This Guideline at a Glance highlights important elements of the full guideline for the AORN Guideline for local-only anesthesia and includes images, implementation steps, and the rationale for why these steps are important to promote safety and optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures.

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70089

A perioperative department expansion at a large urban academic tertiary center in the southwestern United States necessi...
05/21/2026

A perioperative department expansion at a large urban academic tertiary center in the southwestern United States necessitated the hiring of additional perioperative personnel. The OR department planning team identified onboarding capacity gaps and developed an education champion project to facilitate onboarding efforts alongside the perioperative nurse educators.

This article details the development, implementation, outcomes, and implications of the updated onboarding process.

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70078

Article: Enhancing Perioperative Onboarding Through an Education Champion Project

Authors: Oluponle O. Olubajo, PhD, RN, CNOR, CNML; Andrea Thorp, MSN, RN; Caitlin Oless, BSN, RN; Carol Ritchie, MSN, RN, CNOR; Jessica Charles, DNP, MSN, RN, NE-BC; and Jennifer Berry, MSN, RN, CNRN

Frustrated with your preceptor? Get yelled at during a case? Anxious about your first time being on call? The Masked Mav...
05/19/2026

Frustrated with your preceptor? Get yelled at during a case? Anxious about your first time being on call? The Masked Maven is here to provide you with expert advice to help you navigate your first few years in the OR.

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70082

Article: Where Should You Grow? A Nurse’s Guide to Workplace Fit

Authors: Jill Graham, BSN, RN

The need to provide care to increasing numbers of patients for both access and economic reasons, combined with chronic s...
05/17/2026

The need to provide care to increasing numbers of patients for both access and economic reasons, combined with chronic staffing limitations, has created intense pressure on health care organizations and the people employed to provide care.

The overall result is an entrenched culture of individual priorities in job performance rather than well-coordinated teamwork. These conditions set the stage for staff burnout, reduced staff retention, and avoidable patient harm.

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70086

GUEST EDITORIAL: Reduce Burnout, Improve Safety and Efficiency: Consider Prosocial Behavior

Authors: Jeffrey Feldman, MD, MSE, FASA; Ramona Houmanfar, PhD ; Mary Fearon, MSN, RN; John M. Flynn, MD; Jeffrey B. Cooper, PhD; Stuart Libman, MD; Caoimhe Duffy, MD, MSc, CPPS, FCAI; Lisa Spruce, DNP, RN, CNOR, CNS-CP, EBP-C, APRN, FAAN; and Della Lin, MD, MS, FASA

Periop Briefing interviewed Jillian Carratala, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, director of nursing for surgical services at Atlant...
05/16/2026

Periop Briefing interviewed Jillian Carratala, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, director of nursing for surgical services at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center, Summit, New Jersey, about using text messages to improve communication and boost patient satisfaction scores.

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70071

Solutions At Work: Automated Text Messages Boost Patient Satisfaction Scores

Safe medication practices in the perioperative environment play an important role in patient safety. This article discus...
05/14/2026

Safe medication practices in the perioperative environment play an important role in patient safety.

This article discusses basic concepts associated with medication safety, including handling medications in the OR, preventing medication contamination and errors, and managing high-alert medications.

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70080

Back To Basics 2.0 Medication Safety

Authors: Tammy Hanks, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, NEA-BC, EBP-C, CNOR; and Jocelyn Chalquist, BSN, RN, CNOR

The recently updated AORN “Guideline for care and cleaning of surgical instruments” provides perioperative nurses with e...
05/12/2026

The recently updated AORN “Guideline for care and cleaning of surgical instruments” provides perioperative nurses with evidence-based guidance on instrument cleaning and ways to prevent surgical site infections.

This article provides an overview of the guideline and discusses recommendations for prepurchase evaluation, processing before use, loaned items, water quality, personal protective equipment, point-of- use treatment, transport to the decontamination area, manual cleaning, and cleaning verification and inspection.

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70076

Article: Guidelines in Practice: Care and Cleaning of Surgical Instruments

Author: Jonny Marr, MHA, BSN, RN, CNAMB

In his President’s Message, AORN President David Reinhart highlights the essential role that both nurses and mothers pla...
05/10/2026

In his President’s Message, AORN President David Reinhart highlights the essential role that both nurses and mothers play as caregivers who form the bedrock of our society. He notes that May is dedicated to honoring those who offer presence, guidance, and support to those who need it.

He writes:

“To the nurses who pursue excellence with intention, and to the mothers who provide the blueprint for our compassion: I offer my deepest gratitude. Your dedication to growing our profession and your unwavering commitment to your own professional evolution do not go unnoticed. You are the heartbeat of this organization, and I am honored to serve alongside you. Happy Mother’s Day and a meaningful Nurses Week to you all.”

https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aorn.70081

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Building With Purpose

David Reinhart, DNP, MBA, RN, CNOR, FAAN

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