IFPN President, Professor, Lecturer Ege University Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
Disclosure(s):
Meryem Yavuz van Giersbergen, PhD, RN.: No financial relationships to disclose
Description: The operating room is a high-risk, high-reliability environment where patient outcomes are inseparably linked to the safety, competence, and working conditions of the perioperative workforce. Increasing surgical complexity, rapid technological advancement, and persistent workforce challenges have exposed the limitations of safety models that prioritize patient protection without equal consideration of staff safety and system design.
This presentation examines surgical safety through the integrated framework of innovation, inclusivity, and impact, positioning perioperative nursing as a central determinant of safe and sustainable surgical care. Innovation is explored through evidence-based practice, human factors science, non-technical skills, and the intentional use of technology to support clinical judgment and proactive risk mitigation. Inclusivity is presented as a critical safety mechanism, emphasizing psychological safety, speaking-up behaviors, and effective interdisciplinary collaboration within traditionally hierarchical operating room cultures. Impact is examined at the system level, linking perioperative nurse safety to reductions in adverse events, improved team performance, and workforce sustainability.
Grounded in a global perspective, this session highlights the interdependence of staff protection, organizational culture, and patient outcomes. It argues that protecting everyone in the operating room — patients and healthcare workers alike — is not optional, but essential to advancing surgical quality and ensuring safe, sustainable surgery worldwide.
