As perioperative practitioners continue to face unprecedented pressures in the wake of the pandemic, coping strategies and building resilience will be crucial. Louise Frampton reports.
The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) virtual conference tackled key issues affecting theatre teams and high on the agenda included discussion of personal development, leadership, education, mental health and resilience.
Opening the 2021 virtual annual conference, the AfPP’s president, John Dade, reflected that the past 20 months had been “extremely challenging” for perioperative staff both in the UK and globally – perioperative practitioners have gone “above and beyond the call of duty” and the AfPP is committed to ensuring this contribution does not go unnoticed.
At the start of this year, John Dade asked his perioperative colleagues what their hopes were for 2021. Comments included: ‘to be able to support the team with the challenges they faced mentally and emotionally’, ‘to provide a safe placement for students and to support them during the pandemic aftermath’, ‘to have events such as study days’, ‘to never have to wear a respirator again’, and ‘to be able to celebrate and communicate face-to-face with people and respond to their needs and emotions with normal gestures of a handshake and a smile, with no mask’. A common theme was the wish to spend more quality time with family and friends.
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