AORN Outlines Three Practices for Integrating AI in Perioperative Care

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has outlined three key practices for perioperative nurses to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their workflows, aiming to enhance patient care and streamline clinical processes.

Across many perioperative settings, AI has already become an essential tool for clinical decision support. These technologies are embedded in electronic health records and ambient listening documentation tools, streamlining data entry and reducing administrative burdens. Perioperative nurses play a central role in responsible AI integration, interpreting information, advocating for safe use, and maintaining a human-centered focus of care as these tools become more embedded in clinical workflows.

AORN has identified three practical approaches for perioperative nurses to thoughtfully integrate AI:

1. Building Curiosity and Ongoing Education: Nurses should engage in continuous learning about how AI is used in documentation, scheduling, and clinical decision support. This includes staying informed about the latest AI tools and their applications in perioperative care.

2. Maintaining Healthy Skepticism: AI should be treated as a support tool rather than a replacement for clinical judgment. Nurses must remain vigilant and ensure that AI recommendations are used to augment, not replace, their professional expertise.

3. Engaging Early with Interdisciplinary Teams: Nurses should be involved in the early stages of evaluating or implementing new AI technologies. This collaboration ensures that AI solutions are designed with the needs and perspectives of perioperative nurses in mind, fostering a more integrated and effective use of technology.

AI applications are expanding across several areas of perioperative care. Smart surgical platforms are incorporating predictive analytics into anesthesia machines for physiologic monitoring, improving patient safety and outcomes. Instrument tracking systems are using computer vision to enhance accuracy in counts and sterile processing workflows, reducing the risk of surgical errors. AI-driven imaging and intraoperative guidance algorithms are identifying patterns to highlight anatomical structures and surface potential risks in real time, supporting real-time decision-making. AI-connected OR ecosystems integrate data across multiple devices to support situational awareness, ensuring that all relevant information is readily available to the surgical team.

The full evidence base for integrating AI into perioperative practice is available in the new AORN guideline on AI integration, which can be accessed through the AORN website.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses represents the interests of more than 200,000 perioperative nurses by providing evidence-based resources, continuing education, and advocacy to advance surgical care. AORN is committed to empowering nurses to transform patient experiences before, during, and after surgery.