The Process of Situational Awareness Embodiment of Perioperative Scrub Nurses: An Analytic Induction Approach

Purpose: This study aimed to identify and explore how perioperative scrub nurses embody their situational awareness to elucidate the association between research and application.Methods: This qualitative study employed an analytical induction approach. The analytical method reconstructed by Bloor (1978) and modified by Johnson (2004) was used to investigate and analyze the phenomenon in clinical practice. The study was conducted from January 12 to May 20, 2019. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews; the study subjects included 12 perioperative scrub nurses working at three university hospitals.Results: Perioperative scrub nurses embodied situational awareness by comparing and identifying general and abnormal situations throughout surgical procedures, setting priorities in their tasks, responding to situations according to the degree of emergency in the operating room, and developing an integrated view. Perioperative scrub nurses embodied situational awareness through typical patterns involving empirical cases based on experiences, apprenticeship-oriented training, information exchange among surgical team members, and self-directed simulation. Professional responsibility and the level of surgical emergency played an essential role in embodying these patterns.Conclusion: These findings will provide practical categories that will contribute to the development of strategies for practical education of novice perioperative scrub nurses and nursing students.