Operating department practitioner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) are healthcare professionals working in the UK. They are mainly employed in surgical operating departments but can be found in other areas of clinical practice including A&E and intensive care units. The title of "operating department practitioner" is a protected title and the profession is regulated in the UK by the Health Professions Council (HPC).[1]
ODPs work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team that includes doctors, nurses and support workers. Since 2004 the profession has been regulated by the HPC but was previously regulated by the Association of Operating Department Practitioners.[2]
ODPs are involved with the overall planning and delivery of a patient's perioperative care.[3]
For a patient undergoing surgery the perioperative period of their care can divided into three main areas:-
- Anaesthetic stage
- Surgical stage
- Recovery stage
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[edit] Anaesthetic stage
During this stage of a patient's care, ODP's prepare the drugs and equipment needed for the patient to undergo anaesthesia. This may invlove preparing and checking the anaesthetic machines, intravenous drugs/fluids and devices to maintain the patient's airway (e.g.laryngeal masks or endo-tracheal tubes). ODP's will also communicate with the patient when he/she arrives into the anaesthetic room, verifying the pre-op checklist for allergies and past medical history, these last 'barrier' checks can somtimes discover important information that no-one else picked up on, allergys, fasting staus etc. They assist the anaethetist with the planned anaesthetic. They stay with the patient throughout there surgical intervention and alongside the anaethetist help to maintain the 'triad of anaesthesia' which consists of:
Analgesic (pain control- Opiod and Non-Opiod analgesics etc), Relaxation (muscle control via relaxants to facilitate ventilation or surgical requirements), Narcosis (drug induced sleep)
In some hospitals ODP's are members of 'In-Hospital' cardiac arrest teams, they work closely with anaethetists to maintain the patients airway and sometimes can instigate tracheal tubing where no other suitably trained personnel is available. They also attend 'Trauma calls' normally in the hospitals resus area where they can deal with anything from babies with respiratory difficulties to major RTA's with multiple polytraumas.
In this contributers NHS trust, ODP's are also an important resource used during emergency inter-hospital transfers, mainly to Neurosurgical hospitals, decompression chambers, or ITU's. ODP's prepare and facilitate transfers arranging drugs, equipment, emergency airway aparatus, and generally assist the anesthetist - who along with the ODP and two paramedics usually make up the transfer team.
[edit] Surgical stage
The ODP's function during the scrubbed role involves the ODP washing his/her hands for the aseptic procedure. Wearing a sterile gown and gloves in the open or closed technique, preparing all the sterile instruments/equipment to be used for the operation and working alongside the surgeon, passing the instruments within the sterile field. Swabs and instruments are all accounted for by the ODP to verify nothing has been "left inside" the patient. The ODP may also work in the circulating role during the surgical stage of a patient's care. In the circulating role, the ODP will provide extra materials to the scrubbed person, help position the patient on the operating table and plan ahead to supply what the surgeon may need during that case. They may also set up additional equipment needed, and act as a link between the scrub team and the rest of the hospital.
[edit] Recovery stage
When the operation has finished, the patient is taken to the recovery unit where the ODP will assess the patient and monitor the patient's physiological signs. The ODP will then provide treatment and other interventions allowing the patient to fully recover from the effects of anaesthesia. The ODP will also assess if the patient needs help from a physician or can be safely discharged to the ward.
[edit] Training
There are various Universities in the UK that offer a Diploma in Higher Education qualification in Operating Department Practice. It is a 2 year course full time and some universities offer a part time course. The course is 50% theory and 50% practice. A degree programme in the subject is currently being compiled.
[edit] See also
- Anaesthetic Technician in New Zealand healthcare
- Surgical technologist in U.S. healthcare
[edit] Links
Health Professions Council [4] The Role of the ODP (CODP) [5]
