Using the Perioperative Nursing Data Set in Performance Improvement

The Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS), the standardized language designed for perioperative nurses, provides the consistency of terminology, clarity of definitions, and validity and reliability of data required for benchmarking and illustrating the value-added benefits that the perioperative registered nurse brings to the patient care continuum. A case study illustrates one institution's attempt to improve postoperative pain management and decrease patients' length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit, and demonstrates the advantages of using the PNDS not only for improved documentation, but also as a valuable tool in performance improvement. Application of the PNDS to the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Quality and Performance Improvement Standards is presented in detail.