Module 1: Diverse Populations 

🎯 Module Objectives 

1. Explain the key aspects of patient and family centered care. 
2. Describe special considerations when caring for pediatric patients in a perioperative environment. 
3. List common procedures that are performed on pediatric patients. 
4. List special considerations when caring for geriatric patients in the perioperative environment. 
5. Describe additional precautions for patients with both low and high BMIs. 
6. Consider specific disease processes including cancer and diabetes and explain how these conditions may impact perioperative nursing care. 
7. Explore opportunities for perioperative nurses to incorporate culturally sensitive care into their practice. 
8. Recognize the lasting effects of colonization and work with Indigenous patients to provide culturally sensitive, patient centered care. 
9. Explore strategies to improve communication and create an affirming and inclusive environment for 2SLGBTQI+ persons in the perioperative setting. 
10. Support patients in their right to make their own informed decisions and recognize the benefits of complementary care. 
11. Summarize opportunities to support diverse populations in receiving individualized, patient-centered care. 

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📖 Required Readings 

The ORNAC Standards, Guidelines, and Position Statements for Perioperative Registered Nurses, 15th Ed., 2021 

3-65 to 3-70 

Alexander’s care of the patient in surgery 

999-1010 (pediatric) 

1067-1086  (geriatric) 

1147-1162 (complementary and alternative therapy) 

Articles 

Clay, A. M., Parsh, B. (2016) Patient and family centered care: It is not just for pediatrics anymore. American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. 18 (1) 40-44 

https://www.cno.org/en/learn-about-standards-guidelines/educational-tools/ask-practice/culturally-sensitive-care/

Cine Med Video #1961: Care of the Pediatric Patient in Surgery: Neonate through Adolescence (2013)  

Cine Med Video #1955: Care of the Older Adult in Surgery (2012)  

Cine Med Video #1986: Perioperative Care of Bariatric Patients (2017)  

Cine Med Video #1976: Complementary Care in Perioperative Practice (2015) 

https://www.lgbtqiahealtheducation.org/wp-content/uploads/Providing-Inclusive-Services-and-Care-for-LGBT-People.pdf

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Introduction 

This module provides an overview of some of the diverse populations that perioperative nurses care for in the OR. Like an emergency department, the perioperative patient can be any age, come with medical complexities, and from any cultural background. The pre-operative assessment allows the perioperative nurse to identify any special considerations. The nurse collaborates with the interprofessional team to provide holistic patient and family centered care. This module covers how perioperative nurses can provide patient and family centered care, focusing on specific populations: pediatric, geriatric, patients with low and high BMI, and patients with cancer or diabetes. The module also looks at supporting various cultural backgrounds, Indigenous populations, as well as 2SLGBTQI+ patients in the perioperative environment.