Surgical Education Learners Forum/Perioperative Nursing/Surgical Counting/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment
Psychomotor Assessment Rubric for Surgical Counting (ECSACONM)
[edit | edit source]Overview
[edit | edit source]This page provides a psychomotor assessment rubric for evaluating surgical counting competency, developed for perioperative nursing training under ECSACONM (East, Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing). It is a companion assessment tool to the Surgical Counting Skills Practice Instructions page, used by evaluators to rate student/practitioner performance on each step of the surgical count on a 5-point scale. The learner will need an assistant playing the part of circulator and another to film the interaction.
Purpose
[edit | edit source]To provide a standardized scoring framework for assessing clinical competency in surgical counting, ranging from "Clinically Unacceptable / Not Performed" (1) to "Excellent" (5), with defined criteria at each anchor point.
Rating Scale
[edit | edit source]- 1 – Clinically Unacceptable / Not Performed
- 2 – (between 1 and 3, no separate descriptor)
- 3 – Clinically Acceptable / Performed
- 4 – (between 3 and 5, no separate descriptor)
- 5 – Excellent
Assessment Rubric
[edit | edit source]| Step | Name | Assessment Method | 1 – Clinically Unacceptable / Not Performed | 2 | 3 – Clinically Acceptable / Performed | 4 | 5 – Excellent | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gather supplies | Articulated | Not done | Done | ||||
| 2 | Organize items visibly on sterile field | Observed | Items are poorly organized, obscured, mixed together, or difficult to identify and recount | Items are organized appropriately and remain visible for safe tracking and recounting | Maintains exceptional organization that supports rapid identification, efficient workflow, and error prevention throughout the procedure | |||
| 3 | Perform initial (baseline) count | Observed | Count is incomplete, inaccurate, disorganized, or key categories are omitted | Accurately counts all required items using a systematic process with appropriate verbal verification | Performs a highly organized, methodical count with excellent communication, anticipates potential discrepancies, and maintains complete situational awareness | |||
| 4 | Document initial count clearly | Observed | Unable to describe to the circulator what must be documented or omits key count information | Correctly articulates the count to the circulator and verifies it is recorded correctly on the board. | Correctly articulates the count to the circulator and has the numbers read back to them and has the circulator observe and verify observation of the count. | |||
| 5 | Monitor use of items during surgery | Articulated | Has no strategy for tracking movement of countable items during the procedure | Articulates how they maintain awareness of countable items and track their use appropriately throughout the procedure | Articulates how they achieve continuous situational awareness, proactively tracks item movement, and immediately identify count concerns | |||
| 6 | Add new items to count | Observed | New items are used before being counted or documentation is not updated | New items are counted, verbally verified, and incorporated into documentation before use | Consistently integrates new items seamlessly into the counting process while maintaining excellent communication and count integrity | |||
| 7 | Perform intraoperative counts as needed (e.g. on change of staff) | Observed | Required counts are omitted, incomplete, rushed, or performed inconsistently | Performs required intraoperative counts accurately using a systematic process | Performs efficient, consistent, and highly organized recount while maintaining surgical workflow and communication and count accuracy | |||
| 8 | Perform pre-wound closure count | Observed | Count is incomplete, inaccurate, or critical search areas are omitted | Completes a systematic pre-closure count and verifies all items before closure | Performs an exceptionally efficient pre-closure count, including proactive verification of all count locations and potential risk areas | |||
| 9 | Investigate any discrepancies immediately | Articulated | Fails to describe an appropriate process for recognizing, escalating, or investigating discrepancies appropriately | Describes how they would initiate a systematic search and their local protocol for when discrepancies occur | Indicates in their description the capability for excellent problem-solving, leadership, and adherence to protocol during discrepancy investigation | |||
| 10 | Performs Final Count | Observed | Count is incomplete, inaccurate, or critical search areas are omitted | Completes a systematic pre-closure count and verifies all items before closure | Performs an exceptionally efficient pre-closure count, including proactive verification of all count locations and potential risk areas |
| Authors | Ian-laurel |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | "SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Surgical Counting/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment". Appropedia. 2026. Retrieved August 22, 2026. |