The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) this month announced that it is integrating a Living Systematic Review (LSR) for future updates to its evidence-based Guidelines for Perioperative Practice.
The organization stated that the integration of LSR will help perioperative nurses “access guidance informed by current evidence as it becomes available. Unlike traditional systematic reviews, which are static, an LSR is designed to remain current and responsive to new evidence over time.”
AORN, which has long aligned with National Academy of Medicine standards that “established expectations for rigor, transparency, and systematic updating of clinical guidelines,” stressed that the LSR process “does not mean that every new study automatically changes a guideline. Instead, newly identified evidence is reviewed using a structured process to determine whether it confirms existing guidance, supports updates to the evidence base or rationale language, or indicates that a recommendation should be reconsidered. This helps AORN keep its Guidelines current while maintaining stability for the nurses and teams who use them.”
AORN stated that the LSR methodology “means new research is identified and evaluated on an ongoing basis, tailored to the guideline topic. Guideline authors critically appraise the emerging evidence, evaluate how the new knowledge translates to meaningful practice recommendations, and determine whether real-time updates are needed.”
According to AORN Senior Director of Evidence-Based Practice Lisa Spruce, DNP, RN, CNS-CP, CNOR, ACNS, ACNP, FAAN, “Instead of relying only on large, periodic revisions, the Living Systematic Review process enables continuous evaluation of emerging evidence to strengthen the relevance, timeliness, and impact of guidance for perioperative practice.”
