Operating Department Practitioners
Operating department practitioners (ODPs) are a type of health care provider involved with the overall planning and delivery of perioperative care. They are mainly employed in surgical operating departments but can also be found in other clinical areas, including emergency departments, intensive care units (ICUs), and ambulance services. "Operating department practitioner" is a protected title in the United Kingdom, and the profession has been regulated since 2004 by the UK's Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).[1] ODPs work as members of multi-disciplinary teams that include doctors, nurses, and support workers.
ODPs provide care for patients during the anaesthesia (pre-operative), surgical (intra-operative), and recovery (post-operative) phases.
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Anaesthetic stage
ODPs prepare the drugs and equipment needed for the patient to undergo anaesthesia. This involves preparing and checking ventilation equipment, anaesthetic machines, intravenous drugs and fluids, and devices to facilitate breathing (such as laryngeal mask airways and endotracheal tubes). ODPs must also be able to assist anaesthetists in emergency situations.[2] ODPs conduct pre-surgery checklists to ensure that the right patient is receiving the right treatment and has given informed consent. These last "barrier" checks can sometimes discover important information that no one else has picked up on, such as allergies and fasting status. ODPs stay with the patient throughout their surgical intervention and help to maintain the "triad of anaesthesia":
- Analgesia (pain control with opioid and non-opioid drugs)
- Muscle relaxation (to minimise patient movement during surgery and/or facilitate ventilation)
- Hypnosis (drug-induced sleep)
ODPs work closely with anaesthetists to maintain the patient's airway. In some hospitals, they are members of cardiac arrest teams.
In some NHS Trusts, ODPs are used during emergency inter-hospital transfers, mainly to neurosurgical hospitals, decompression chambers, and intensive care units. They prepare and facilitate transfers, arranging drugs, equipment, and emergency airway apparatus. Transfer teams usually consist of an anaesthetist, an ODP, and two paramedics.
Surgical stage
ODPs prepare sterile instruments and equipment and work with the surgeon, passing the instruments within the sterile area.
Specially trained ODPs can also be the first assistant to the surgeon. Swabs and instruments are all accounted for by the ODP to check that nothing has been left inside the patient.
ODPs may sometimes work in a circulating role during the surgical stage of a patient's care. In this role, they give extra materials to the sterilised person, help position the patient on the operating table, and plan ahead to supply what the surgical team may need. They may also set up extra equipment and act as a link between the surgical team and the rest of the hospital.
Recovery stage
When the operation has finished, the patient is taken to the recovery unit, where the ODP will check on him or her, providing airway management if needed and monitoring the patient's physiological signs. The ODP will then give treatment such as the administration of prescribed drugs or other procedures, allowing the patient to fully recover from the effects of anaesthesia. The ODP will also check if the patient needs help from a physician or can be safely discharged to the ward.
Training
There are 28 universities in the UK that offer a Diploma of Higher Education in operating department practice. It is usually a two-year, full-time course, with some universities offering part-time courses.
After earning this initial professional qualification, students may decide to specialise in the anaesthetic phase and, with further training, become an anaesthetic care practitioner. Alternatively, it is possible to specialise in surgery and become a surgical care practitioner.
Since the disbanding of the English National Board (ENB), there has been no nationally recognised qualification for surgical nurses, although many universities offer post-registration studies for nurses wishing to specialise and pursue a career in the operating department. Many of these courses are benchmarked against competencies required to become an ODP.
Professional organizations
The HCPC recognises two professional bodies for ODPs:[1]
- The College of Operating Department Practitioners (CODP),[3] previously known as the Association of Operating Department Practitioners (AODP)
- The Association for Perioperative Practice[4] (AfPP), formerly the National Association of Theatre Nurses
See also
- Anaesthetic technician in New Zealand healthcare
- Surgical technologist in United States healthcare
- Clinical officers in sub-Saharan Africa
