Perspective and Experience of Hospital Operating Room Nurses with the Concept of Excellence: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: The provision of care according to the code of ethics is of the highest priority in operating rooms (OR). However, the exposure of the surgical team to a high level of stress may result in unethical behavior and undermine their pursuit of excellence. Since the concept of excellence is complex and there are limited published studies in the nursing literature, there was a need for in-depth research. Objective: The present study aimed at evaluating the perspective and experience of OR nurses with the concept of excellence. Study Design: The conventional qualitative content analysis method was employed to explore the concept of excellence among OR nurses. Participants and Research Environment: The current study was conducted on 20 OR nurses in the elective and emergency operating rooms of hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews and field notes from April 2017 to June 2018. Findings: The four categories extracted from the interview data were "enhanced personality traits", "growth and development", "knowledge enhancement", and "effective teamwork". In addition, a total of 10 sub-categories were extracted. Discussion: The findings of the present study indicated that OR nurses can achieve personal, professional, organizational, and social excellence through enhancing personality traits, peer learning, teaching ethics to the surgical team members, and educating and training patients and family caregivers through effective teamwork. A close collaboration between OR nurses and nursing managers would develop a culture of pursuit for excellence. Conclusion: The findings of the present study provided a better understanding of the perception of OR nurses with the concept of excellence; based on which, optimal ethical care and an environment for the pursuit of excellence can be developed. The findings also provided evidence-based recommendations to nursing managers on how to gain the trust of patients and family caregivers, and promote the pursuit of personal, professional, organizational, and social excellence.