TORG-MAG Vol 1 Issue 1, PP. 28-30
Introduction and Professional Background
I am Nurse Adeyeni Abdul-Lateef Babatunde, Theatre Manager at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria and Chairman, TORG Founding Chapter, Nigeria. My professional journey as nurse started in 1988 when I was enrolled as a Nurse-Trainee at the then OAUTHC School of Nursing, SDA Campus, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
After my qualification as a RN, I worked briefly at a Mission Hospital and a privately owned Hospital at Saki, Oyo state, Nigeria. In 1993, I enrolled into the OAUTHC School of Perioperative Nursing Studies for the award of Diploma in Perioperative Nursing and Management. I had my Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) and Master Degree in Nursing Science (MSc.N) at Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria.
I joined the services of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria as a Registered/Perioperative Nurse in the year 1995 and had since been working as an Operative Room Nurse till date. I rose through the ranks to become Deputy Director of Nursing Services and my appointment as the Theatre Manager was based on the recommendations of my Unit Head and Head of Department. I have enjoyed the supports of my colleagues, surgeons, anesthesiologists and other theatre room users since my appointment.
b. What inspired you to take on the role of Chairperson for TORG Nigeria Chapter?
I accepted the role because I believe in the ideas, vision and mission of TORG which is a non-profit, non-political organization which provides a platform for various operating rooms staff to come together under one umbrella to improve our practices that will enhance patients’ safety and organizational efficiencies.
Operating Theatre Management
a. What are the key responsibilities and challenges you face in overseeing the operations of the operating theatre?
Theatre Manager is responsible to the day-to-day running of the theatre, oversees other multiple or ancillary operating rooms. My key responsibilities are mainly to provide good leadership, advice and communication.
As an operating room manager, I am to provide good leadership to medical and non-medical theatre staff, balanced supervision non-medical staff to promote multidisciplinary teamwork between theatre users at all levels. Theatre Manager provides professional advice on clinical matters regarding perioperative care of patients. As a theatre manager, one serves as a link between the organization and staff members, between operating room department and other units like Engineering (Biomedical, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil), Laboratories (Microbiology, Hematology, Chem. Path and Morbid) Transport, Health Records, Radiology, Environmental etc. to ensure seamless surgical procedures in the operating rooms.
b. How do you ensure efficiency and high standards of care within the Operating Theatre?
Thank you for this question, in as much as perioperative practice is a collaborative one among all the theatre users, there is a need for a harmonious working relationship between all the team members. To ensure high standard and operating room efficiency, there must be training and in-service education opportunities for the team members. Provision of continuous training and education opportunities for all staff members, including surgeons, nurses, anesthetists, and support staff to keep them updated on the latest advancements, procedures, and technologies to maintain high standards of care.
We must ensure regular maintenance and update equipment and instruments to ensure they are in good working conditions. We must see that inventory of essential supplies and medications are kept to avoid shortages during surgeries. Development of a system for tracking, ordering, and restocking supplies must be adopted.
Operating Theatre Manager must ensure the implementation and regularly review standard operating procedures for all aspects of the operating theatre, including pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care. He/she should ensure that team members are trained on these procedures and carry them out consistently.
Organization must establish a quality assurance program to monitor and assess the performance of the operating theatre. There should be conduct of regular audits to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions to maintain high standards of care.
To foster a culture of open communication and collaboration within the operating theatre and its users, there must be free and healthy communication and teamwork. We must encourage interdisciplinary teamwork and ensure all surgical team members are aware of their roles and responsibilities. There must be establishment of protocols for effective communication during surgeries and emergencies.
Operating theatre management should put machinery in motion to implement and enforce strict safety protocols to minimize the risk of surgical site infections, medication errors, and other adverse events. Regularly review and update these protocols based on best practices and evidence-based guidelines should be ensured by all concerned.
As an organization, there is a need to conduct regular performance evaluations for surgical team members to provide feedback, identify areas for improvement, and recognize outstanding achievements. We need to offer support and resources for professional development to enhance individual and team performance.
We must make sure that we get feedback from our patients and their families concerning patients’ satisfaction. Regular feedback from them will gauge their satisfaction with the care provided in the operating theatre. We should promptly address any patient’s concerns or complaints to improve patient experience and ensure high standards of care in the operating room.
We must encourage a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging staff members to identify and share ideas that can enhance efficiency and the quality of care. Regular review of processes, outcomes, and feedback from patient to identify areas for improvement and implement changes accordingly.
TORG Nigeria Chapter
a. Can you tell us more about TORG Nigeria Chapter and its mission? What motivated you to take on the role of Chairperson?
Resource constraints in Low and Middle-Income countries (LMICs), balancing quality care with cost containment, evolving regulatory landscapes, and staffing shortages are significant challenges. The operating theatre environment faces unique challenges due to the dynamic and high-pressure nature of surgical procedures.
Nigeria chapter came into being in the year 2015 and it has partnership relationships with NAPON, NMA and other specialist groups. I was motivated to be part of this progressive movement in a bid to contribute my own quota towards ensuring that the purpose and intents of this organization come to reality.
a. How does the chapter contribute to the professional development and collaboration of operating theatre staff in Nigeria?
★★★★★
The chapter had been able to bring together operating room users across the country by creating a platform which serves as an avenue to educate us through our weekly seminars and webinars, sharing of educative information, new technologies in the field of medicines, sharing of thoughts, ideas and scenarios. This had contributed immensely to members knowledge base and had further enhanced their service delivery in the operating rooms across the country.
Professional Platform and Networking
a. How does TORG Nigeria Chapter facilitate networking and collaboration among operating theatre professionals in the country?
TORG Nigeria as I have earlier stated incorporates all theatre practitioners across the states and therein share ideas, thoughts, new technological information, challenges and ways of resolving the identified issues among us. Several subspecialty groups are integrated into TORG Nigeria chapter which see to their specialties and groups’ objective of seamless perioperative practice in Nigeria.
Challenges in Operating Theatre Practices in Nigeria
a. What are some of the specific challenges faced by operating theatre professionals in Nigeria, and how does TORG Nigeria Chapter address these challenges?
There are myriads of challenges being faced by the operating theatre professionals in ranging from manpower shortage due to brain-drain syndrome, lack of adequate infrastructure for instance most of the operating theatres in Nigeria lack basic infrastructure such as proper ventilation and sufficient power supplies which pose a lot of challenges to the operating room practitioners as it affects the quality of surgical outcomes and infection risks.
Lack of essential supplies and equipment including surgical instruments, anaesthesia machines and multiparameter monitoring devices. Inability to procure these items for the use in many operating theatres hinders the ability of the operating room professionals to perform optimally. We have challenges of inadequate compensation, renumerations and supports. This challenges of inadequate salaries and lack of incentives being faced by theatre practitioners can lead to job dissatisfaction and low productivity on their parts which invariably affecting the quality of surgical care provided.
Inadequate training and education are other challenges being faced by Nigerian operating theatre practitioners. We have shortage well trained operating room professionals in the country, many of the healthcare institutions do not have adequate budgetary provisions to provide comprehensive training and educational programmes for the operating room practitioners. As time goes on, this may lead to lack of proficiency in surgical techniques, skills and practices which endangers patients’ safety.
Most of the operating theatres in Nigeria are faced with high patient loads which invariably leads to long working hours, fatigue and burnouts. This affects intraoperative concentrations and increases the risks of medical errors. Lack of standardization and regulations are parts of the challenges being faced by Nigerian operating theatre practitioners. This results in inconsistency and varying level of practices and expertise among professionals and its consequential impacts on patients’ surgical outcomes.
Professional Development Programs
a. In your role as Chairperson, what professional development programs or resources does TORG Nigeria Chapter offer to its members?
As a chapter through the cooperation of Chapter Executive Committee members and the founder, we do organize weekly educational seminars and enlightenment for our members where various knotty issues are discussed among ourselves. We do collaborations among professionals, various healthcare facilities to cross-fertilized ideas on how to make our practices safer for our patients and ourselves.
b. How do these programs contribute to the continuous learning and growth of operating theatre professionals?
It had made tremendous impacts considering testimonies shared by members across the country.
Leadership in Healthcare
a. As a leader in healthcare, both as an Operating Theatre Manager and Chairperson, what leadership principles do you find most effective in managing a team of healthcare professionals?
As a leader one needs to be purposeful, consistent, setting standards which you want to toll, lead by example, have a driving force that carry one’s subordinates towards the organizational goals and one must be able to develop people and not just an empire.
b. How do you inspire and motivate your team to achieve excellence in their roles?
I apply the principles above in running the affairs of any organization I find myself.
Collaboration with Healthcare Institutions
a. How does TORG Nigeria Chapter collaborate with healthcare institutions to enhance the practice of operating theatre professionals?
TORG Nigeria Chapter encourages operating room practitioners from all healthcare facilities (Federal, State, LGAs, Missionary and privately owned) to join this progressive train towards advancement of seamless patients’ surgical experiences. The responses had been very encouraging with the hope of getting better frontiers this New Year.
Future Vision
a. What is your vision for the future of operating theatre practices in Nigeria, and how do you see TORG Nigeria Chapter evolving to meet the changing needs of professionals in the field?
My future vision for TORG Nigeria is to ensure that almost all operating room practitioners/professionals are empowered with necessary knowledge, skills, collaboration and innovation through education, research and advocacy. I want a situation whereby there will be better perioperative care in Nigeria and can be favorably compared with those in advanced climes.
a. Are there specific goals or projects on the horizon that you are particularly excited about?
Yes, we are excited as TORG Nigeria Chapter for the maiden edition of TORG Scientific conference coming up from August 7th – 9th, 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria. We are very happy to host the largest collection of operating room professionals from all walks of life.
We intend to make this scientific conference a yearly affair whereby all members across the states of the federation will have opportunities to be educated on current issues in operating room practices.
TORG Magazine (TORG-MAG)
Maiden Edition: Surgical Symphony, Issue 1 Vol 1 Aug 2024
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