Accreditation Canada's standards for operating rooms were prepared in response to requests from health service organizations, regulators, and governments for specific standards pertaining to safety and quality in surgical suites and operating rooms. These standards complement the surgical care standards, which address aspects of service in the pre-operative and post-operative environment.
The standards and criteria are intended to:
assess organizational compliance against standards of excellence
incorporate best practice and research results
include the client perspective
address issues of the full perioperative team (care staff, support staff, and physicians)
include structure, process, and outcome performance measurement
The standards were developed with the input of a multidisciplinary standards working group. A number of the standards are based on existing standards from groups such as the Canadian Standards Association, the Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada, and the Canadian Anaesthesiologists' Society. These standards were also informed by a Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) analysis of its data specifically relating to patient safety issues arising from OR practices.
The standards contain the following subsections:
Building a high performing team
Preparing for the procedure
Performing the procedure
Transferring the client after the procedure
Cleaning and maintaining surgical equipment
Monitoring quality and achieving positive outcomes