5 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8
T
o keep patients normothermic during surgery, you initiate
active warming measures in pre-op and take constant tem-
perature readings to make sure their core body tempera-
ture remains above 36°C. Sounds simple enough, right?
You'd think so, but a recent national survey of 324 periop-
erative nurses suggests there's a gap between what the guidelines say
about preventing hypothermia and what's actually being done to pre-
vent it. Chances are your nurses would benefit from a refresher course
on the following topics and could use a reminder about why maintain-
ing normothermia is an important part of providing safe surgical care.
Jeannette Sabatini | Associate Editor
How Much Do You Know About Patient Warming?
A recent survey suggests some nurses are still
stumped on the basics of preventing perioperative hypothermia.
• CONTINUING EDUCATION Lessons about patient warming are needed to fill the gap between guideline recommendations and
practice knowledge.
