AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practice 2027

37 Evidence-Based Perioperative Nursing Guidelines - 1 New and 6 Revised for 2027

Put Evidence-Based Guidance into Practice

The AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practice give perioperative leaders and nurse educators evidence-based recommendations to answer practice questions, review policies and procedures, and support consistent practice across the surgical team.

Keep Policies, Education, and Practice Current

Use the new 2027 AORN Guidelines to see what changed, keep staff education current, and support survey preparation. From patient safety and infection prevention to everyday practice decisions, your team has current perioperative guidance when questions arise.

What's New in the 2027 AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practice?

The 2027 edition adds one new Guideline on Artificial Intelligence and major updates to six guidelines that address today’s most pressing perioperative challenges. Use the new edition of AORN Guidelines to evaluate policies, staff education, and daily practice against current evidence-based recommendations.

  • Protect patients with updated evidence on environmental hygiene, specimen management, and retained surgical item prevention.
  • Protect staff with strengthened guidance for surgical smoke and laser safety.
  • Prepare for the future with AORN’s first Guideline on responsible AI integration in perioperative practice.
  • Improve outcomes with an expanded Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Guideline that extends recovery planning through the first 30 days after surgery.

AI is already influencing perioperative care, documentation, workflow optimization, and clinical decision support. This new Guideline provides the framework for governance that positions organizations for effective evaluation of emerging technologies, implementation safeguards, and harnessing AI's benefits while protecting patients, staff, and organizational trust.

Reducing complications, shortening recovery, and improving patient outcomes requires coordination across the entire surgical journey. The revised ERAS Guideline expands evidence-based recommendations beyond the procedure itself, helping organizations optimize recovery through the first 30 days after surgery.

A single missed opportunity in environmental cleaning can contribute to contamination and infection risk. This major update gives perioperative leaders practical, evidence-based strategies to strengthen cleaning, disinfection, verification, and accountability across the surgical environment.

Laser-related injuries can occur in seconds but have lasting consequences for patients and personnel. This update provides strengthened recommendations for hazard assessment, fire prevention, eye protection, and team training to support safe laser use in every perioperative setting.

Retained surgical items remain among the most devastating and preventable surgical events. The revised Guideline strengthens recommendations for counts, communication, technology-assisted detection, and system-wide prevention strategies to help teams reduce risk and protect patients.

Every surgical smoke plume can contain toxic chemicals, viable biologic material, and ultrafine particles that carry health consequences, especially among health care workers with career-long exposure. This revision helps organizations protect staff, improve workplace safety, and advance compliance efforts with updated recommendations for smoke evacuation and filtration to minimize exposure.

Lost, mislabeled, or mishandled specimens are never events that can delay diagnosis, expose organizations to liability, and undermine patient confidence. The revised Guideline provides strengthened recommendations for specimen identification, transfer, tracking, and communication, from collection through final disposition.

Order the 2027 AORN Guidelines

Pick Your Format: Print or eBook

Choose the format that works best for you. Order today and save $20 during presales only, now through December 31, 2026.

Order During Presales and Save $20, October 1-Dec. 31, 2026. Print books and eBooks ship in January 2027.

2027 AORN Guidelines Print Book.

Member: $285 | Non-member: $335
(regularly $305 Member, $355 Non-Member)

2027 AORN Guidelines eBook.

Member: $255 | Non-member: $305
(regularly $275 Member, $325 Non-Member)

Other Ways to Purchase

Purchase via credit card by ordering through the AORN store.

Facility Purchase Orders: See Facility Order Form or Call (800) 755-2676.

The 2027 AORN Guidelines book isn't a "nice-to-have." It is the trusted source that defines evidence-based perioperative practice. Because every patient deserves our very best.

Trusted by the Best in the OR

"Any time there was a fight in the OR about best practice, they'd say: let’s ask the AORN nurse. I'd grab my Guidelines book, and that was the end of the debate."