In this study of delegated intraoperative nursing activities performed by surgical technologists (STs) in low-risk and high-risk surgical procedures, 343 OR directors, perioperative nurses, and STs from rural, community, and medical center hospitals reported that STs frequently perform activities related to surgical counts, the sterile field, and equipment and supplies. Surgical technologists do not frequently perform tasks related to patient transportation, teaching, medication administration, OR environment, patient monitoring, and patients' rights. The investigator used nine competency statements of intraoperative nursing as a framework for the research instrument. Data analysis determined that the levels of risk in patient situations affects how frequently STs perform transportation, teaching, sterile field, OR environment, and patients' rights activities.

In constantly looking forward to new ideas, techniques, procedures and structures in nursing, it could be that we lose sight of our origins. Ann-Carol Carrington provides us with a brief outline of the history and development of the operating theatre, and the role of the nurse within the theatre.

1. The surgical environment is the sum of the physical and the functional milieu in which surgical operative procedures are carried out in the course of patient care. 2. Although we acknowledge advances in surgical technology that have made possible a whole array of new procedures, we must be concerned with their effects on the surgical environment of the 1990s. These concerns include control of the spread of blood borne diseases and the lagging field of infectious and hazardous waste disposal. 3. The needs are clear for better departmental and institutional master planning, better systems analysis, better inservice training of personnel, and more precise and functional programming and planning. All must be accomplished within a framework of safety, efficiency, and economy.

The future does not just happen. Events of yesterday provide the brick and mortar for today. The future of perioperative nursing practice depends on how we arrange the brick and mortar today. We cannot predict the future; the future is chosen based on what actions we plan for tomorrow. Health care, surgical care, and illness care will change a great deal as we enter the twenty-first century. Our specialty cannot afford to be preoccupied with past accomplishments, reacting only to daily events rather than creating a chosen future. AORN has taken a major step by establishing the Project 2000 teams to analyze the present and plan for the future. Members must be willing to abandon the status quo. Looking beyond current practice to the expanding edges of perioperative nursing offers new opportunities. Where will we be in 2010? The future is ours to choose.

Nurses working in today's operating room environments are faced with new technologies being added as the trend toward the digitalization of ORs becomes a reality. Many hospitals across the country are currently undergoing renovations to include updated equipment. This means nurses must adapt to new systems and become familiar with the driving forces behind the trend and how it will affect their daily work. Here, the author explores why digital ORs are increasingly becoming the norm and what today's nurses need to understand in order to be effective in this emerging environment.