Effects of Certified Perioperative Nurses on the Establishment of Preoperative Outpatient and Rate of Preoperative Assessment in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: In patients undergoing surgery, nurse-led preoperative assessments include preoperative outpatient and preoperative visits. Certified perioperative nurses are expected to intervene pre- and post-operatively in patients undergoing surgery. This study aimed to investigate the effects of certified perioperative nurses on preoperative outpatient and preoperative assessments. Methods The study period ranged from February 2021 to September 2022, and data were collected and analyzed using a questionnaire at 247 facilities that administer more than 800 general anesthetics annually. The primary outcome measure was the preoperative assessment rate of preoperative and outpatient visits. To analyze the factors affecting the rate of preoperative assessment with the primary endpoint of preoperative outpatient and preoperative visits, we performed multivariate analysis of facility characteristics, medical staff background, and the presence or absence of certified perioperative nurses. The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Results Sixty-eight and forty-one institutions in the enrolled and non-enrolled groups underwent a preoperative assessment, respectively, and the enrolled group underwent a significantly higher number of preoperative assessments than did the non-enrolled group. The medians of the enrolled and non-enrolled groups were 90.0 and 83.0, respectively, indicating a significantly higher preoperative assessment rate in the enrolled group than in the non-enrolled group. Multivariate analysis of factors influencing the preoperative assessment rate revealed a significant association with certified perioperative nurse attendance. Conclusions Facilities where certified perioperative nurses are enrolled have a significantly higher prevalence of preoperative outpatient visits and significantly higher rates of preoperative assessments than do facilities where certified perioperative nurses are not enrolled. Enrollment of certified perioperative nurses will lead to the improvement of the quality of preoperative nursing interventions.