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PREAMBLE
AORN recognizes the need for a structured process for education, training, and introduction of procedures, techniques, technology, and equipment to health care professionals practicing within the perioperative/invasive procedure setting. By virtue of their training, knowledge, and expertise, health care industry representatives can provide technical support to the surgical team to expedite the procedure and facilitate desired patient outcomes. Health care industry representatives may function in any of several positions (eg, clinical consultants, sales representatives, technicians, or repair/maintenance personnel). The primary responsibility of the perioperative registered nurse is to ensure the safety of patients undergoing operative or other invasive procedures. Core nursing activities that, by licensure, may not be performed by non-nurses are assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, and evaluation.

The surgical setting is one of the most potentially hazardous of all clinical environments and is subject to strict regulations, clinical practice guidelines and standards of care to preserve patient safety. It is important that the health care industry representative understands how to safely work in the operating room to assist the perioperative team in maintaining the patient's safety, right to privacy, and confidentiality when a health care industry representative is present during a surgical procedure.

Please refer to "AORN guidance statement: The role of the health care industry representative in the perioperative setting" for more specific information and guidelines.¹

POSITION STATEMENT
AORN supports the education of perioperative team members on new procedures, techniques, technology, and equipment with which personnel are not familiar before their use in a surgical procedure. AORN believes the following.

• The RN is accountable for the patient's nursing care during the procedure and advocates for the patient's safety, privacy, dignity, and confidentiality.
• Health care industry representatives may be permitted in the perioperative setting to provide technical support in accordance with facility policies, local, state, and federal regulations.
• Health care industry representatives should not provide direct patient care or be allowed in the sterile field. However, AORN believes the health care industry representative with specialized training and facility approval may perform calibration/synchronization to adjust/ program devices (such as but not limited to implanted electronic devices, radio frequency devices and lasers) under the supervision of the physician.
• Patients have a right to be informed about the presence of a health care industry representative in the perioperative/invasive procedure setting during a surgical procedure according to local, state, and federal regulations.²
• Health care facilities should incorporate the local, state, and federal regulations regarding health care industry representatives in the perioperative/invasive procedure setting.

References
1. "AORN guidance statement: The role of the health care industry representative in the perioperative setting," in Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines (Denver: AORN, Inc, 2006) 261-263.
2. "Standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information; final rule," 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164, Federal Register 65 (Dec 28, 2000); 82462. Also available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/hipaa/hipaa2/regulations/privacy/finalrule/PvcFR01.pdf (accessed 3 Oct 2005).

Original statement adopted by the AORN Board of Directors in October 1999; ratified by the House of Delegates, New Orleans, in April 2000. Ratified by the AORN House of Delegates, Washington, DC, in March 2006. Sunset review: March 2011