Steps to Prepare the OR Before Patient Arrival

Preparing the OR

This short infographic walks you through the steps to take to prepare the OR before the patient arrives, from finding the preference card to completing initial counts. Just hover over each step to learn more. You also can download a handy one-page flowsheet.

AORN Resources

Open access:

• AORN Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Prevention of RSI 

AORN members can access:

• Back to Basics 2.0: Positioning the Patient - AORN Journal 
• Patient‐specific risk factors for positioning injuries - AORN Journal 
• Guideline Quick View: Positioning the Patient - AORN Journal
• Using appropriate positioning devices for surgical patients - AORN Journal 
• Guideline Implementation: Sterile Technique - AORN Journal
• Sterile Technique - AORN Journal 
• Guideline Quick View: Sterile Technique - AORN Journal 
• Standardizing the Surgical Count Process to Decrease Incorrect Counts - AORN Journal 
• Guidelines in Practice: Prevention of Unintentionally Retained Surgical Items - AORN Journal 
• Guideline Quick View: Retained Surgical Items - AORN Journal 
• Addressing the Role of Human Factors in the Retention of Surgical Items - AORN Journal 
• Positioning the Patient, Sterile Technique, and Retained Surgical Items FAQs - AORN
• Positioning the Patient, Sterile Technique, and Retained Surgical Items Guideline Essentials - AORN

If your facility subscribes to eGuidelines+, you can access: 

• Positioning at a Glance | AORN eGuidelines+ 
• Positioning the Patient Guideline | AORN eGuidelines+
• Sterile Technique Guideline | AORN eGuidelines+
• Retained Surgical Items Guideline | AORN eGuidelines+