Operating department practitioners

Operating department practitioners (ODPs) are a type of health care provider involved with the overall planning and delivery of perioperative care. They are mainly employed in surgical operating departments but can also be found in other clinical areas, including emergency departments, intensive care units (ICUs), and ambulance services. "Operating department practitioner" is a protected title in the United Kingdom, and the profession has been regulated since 2004 by the UK's Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). As of February 2017^[update] there are 13,018 registered ODPs in the UK. ODPs work as members of multi-disciplinary teams that include doctors, nurses, and support workers.

The Association of Operating Department Practitioners operated a voluntary register and campaigned through the nineties for formal regulation. By 1999 there were around 8,000 ODPs across the UK.

In 2004 the regulation of ODPs was taken over by the UK's Health and Care Professions Council, which changed its name in 2012 to Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). In July 2004, the HPC published standards of proficiency for ODP, later revised in November 2008.

ODPs are not classified as allied health professionals, although in England this will change in April 2017.

ODPs provide care for patients during the anaesthesia (pre-operative), surgical (intra-operative), and recovery (post-operative) phases.

ODPs prepare the drugs and equipment needed for the patient to undergo anaesthesia. This involves preparing and checking ventilation equipment, anaesthetic machines, intravenous drugs and fluids, and devices to facilitate breathing (such as laryngeal mask airways and endotracheal tubes). ODPs must also be able to assist anaesthetists in emergency situations. ODPs conduct pre-surgery checklists to ensure that the right patient is receiving the right treatment and has given informed consent. These last "barrier" checks can sometimes discover important information that no one else has picked up on, such as allergies and fasting status. ODPs stay with the patient throughout their surgical intervention and help to maintain the "triad of anaesthesia":

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