SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Setting Up the Operating Room/Psychomotor Skills Practice Instructions

Setting Up The Operating Room – Perioperative Nursing (ECSACONM)

Overview

This page provides a psychomotor skills practice guide for setting up an operating room (OR), developed for perioperative nursing training under ECSACONM (East, Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing). It is intended as a self-directed developer worksheet, outlining the sequential steps, associated learning objectives ("good skills"), common errors, and practical guidance for each stage of OR readiness.

Purpose

To guide nursing students and practitioners through a systematic, step-by-step process for preparing an operating room prior to a surgical procedure, ensuring patient safety, infection control, and operational readiness.

Psychomotor Skills Practice Instructions

Step	Instructions	Good Skills (Learning Objectives)	Common Errors	Guidance
1	Environmental readiness check	Articulates that OR environmental cleaning checklist / terminal cleaning checklist are completed
2	Verify: Planned procedure Surgeon requirements/preferences Special equipment needs	Articulates planned procedures and setup/special equipment required confirmed with surgeon
3	Gather supplies	Articulate that all needed equipment is available and ready
4	Check and position OR furniture	Position OR bed/table, Mayo/side tables, anesthesia workstation and stools; ensure clear transfer space and walkways. Good skills: Correct ergonomic layout; unobstructed walkways; table aligned with lights; patient transfer space ready	Poor positioning causing crowding or obstruction; table not aligned to lights	Do a quick walk-around: transfer path, anesthesia access at head, and clear entry and exit routes.
5	Check lighting	Power on overhead/portable lights; position over expected field; confirm focus, intensity and movement range. Good skills: Lights positioned over surgical field; bulbs working, light arms stable; adjustable focus, intensity and movement range confirmed	Lights not tested; burned-out bulbs discovered during surgery; lights positioned incorrectly away from the operative field; focus or intensity not adjusted appropriately; movement range and stability of light arms not checked	Confirm sterile light handles/covers are available if used; set initial position for average patient height and expected surgical field.
6	Check suction system	Assemble canister/tubing; connect to wall/portable suction; test suction; keep spare canister/tubing. Good skills: Test suction function; correct tubing connections; spare canister ready	Weak suction pressure; leaks or blockages in tubing; no spare canister	If weak, check canister seal, tubing kinks, regulator, and power source (if portable).
7	Check anesthesia machine	Confirm anesthesia team has completed machine check; verify oxygen source present; ensure readiness for patient arrival. Good skills: Verify with anesthesia lead that machine tested per protocol; oxygen supply adequate; circuits leak-checked; all alarms and safety systems functional	Oxygen empty; leaks or disconnections in circuit; machine not tested before case	If the machine is not cleared, pause room readiness sign-off and escalate to anesthesia lead.
8	Set up waste disposal system	Place sharps containers and labeled waste bins in standard locations; ensure liners are present and accessible. Good skills: Clearly labeled, color-coded bins in correct locations	Bins missing, not within reach of procedural area, or mislabeled; sharps container absent	If not properly organised, stop and correct the setup by repositioning or replacing waste containers before proceeding.
9	Verify available surgical instrument sets	Check correct set(s) for planned case; confirm seals intact; verify sterility indicators/expiry as visible; stage for opening. Good skills: Confirm availability and correct type; check seals intact	Missing sets; damaged packaging; incorrect sets pulled	Escalate early — avoid opening incorrect sets and wasting sterile supplies.
10	Arrange sterile supplies (without opening)	Check correct set(s) for planned case; confirm seals intact; verify sterility indicators/expiry as visible; stage for opening. Good skills: Sterile packs placed on clean, dry surfaces; labels visible; expiry dates checked	Expired packs; damaged packaging; placed on contaminated surfaces	Leave a clear landing zone for opening; avoid stacking that crushes packaging or hides indicators.
11	Check patient positioning equipment	Confirm needed positioning aids (straps, padding, armboards, stirrups, head ring) are present, intact, and clean. Good skills: Equipment present, clean, functioning and within reach	Equipment missing or not easily accessible; straps frayed; padding torn	Match to likely case needs before the patient arrives; replace/flag damaged items.
12	Set up auxiliary equipment such as diathermy, warming devices	Route cords to reduce trip/pull risk; keep plugs accessible; avoid crossing walkways. Good skills: Cables inspected; grounding pads ready; devices tested	Faulty cables; ESU not tested; warming device missing	Route cords to reduce trip/pull risk; keep plugs accessible; avoid crossing walkways.
13	Verify emergency equipment, supplies and medications	Confirm crash cart access and key items (functional airway equipment, supplies, medications, oxygen) reachable; verify charge/power. Good skills: Fully stocked; airway equipment (defibrillator, bag valve mask, suction) functional; equipment, supplies and medications accessible	Missing medications/supplies/equipment; defibrillator not charged	Quick reach test: Can the team access the emergency kit without moving clutter? Can the team identify the backup location of emergency items before starting?
14	Patient data board, time-out list and count board	Prepare checklist/time-out materials; set up a count board; ensure patient placeholders are ready (update at time-out). Good skills: OR safety checklist and time-out set up for patient to be operated on with current, up-to-date information	Missing OR safety checklist and/or count board	Limit premature PHI (patient health information); update immediately before time-out; keep board visible to the team.
15	Final room readiness check	Run a final sweep: clear pathways, remove hazards, confirm stations ready, retrieve or escalate missing items. Good skills: All stations ready; pathways clear; alarms and safety systems activated; safety hazards removed	Missing items; clutter; alarms and safety systems not functional; tripping hazards present	Use a consistent sweep order (door → anesthesia → scrub/circulator → exits) to avoid omissions.
16	Ensure backup energy supply	Verbalizes that backup energy supply is checked and functional

References

Page data
Keywords	surgery, health
SDG	SDG03 Good health and well-being
Authors	Ian-laurel
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0
Organizations	SELF, ECSACONM
Language	English (en)
Related	0 subpages, 1 pages link here
Views	0 page views (analytics)
Created	July 1, 2026 by Ian-laurel
Last edit	July 1, 2026 by Ian-laurel
Cite as	Ian-laurel (2026). "SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Setting Up the Operating Room/Psychomotor Skills Practice Instructions". Appropedia. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
API queries	basic, semantic, html, files, more