Jump to ratings and reviews

Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery

**Selected for 2026 Doody's Core Titles as an Essential Purchase in Perioperative**

Gain the knowledge and skills you need to provide safe, effective perioperative nursing care! Alexander’s Care of the Patient in Surgery, 17th Edition is the definitive resource for nurses and surgical technologists training for a career in the operating room. Illustrated, step-by-step instructions cover patient care in more than 400 surgical interventions, including patient positioning, instrumentation, and postoperative care. Along with the latest on robotic surgery and a review of evidence-based guidelines, this edition includes new coverage of COVID-19 and gender affirmation surgery. From well-known educator Jane C. Rothrock ― and with every chapter authored by an expert nurse ― Alexander’s gives you the tools you need to pass the CNOR© certification exam and succeed in the surgical setting.

Comprehensive coverage includes basic perioperative nursing principles, such as patient and environmental safety, infection prevention, patient positioning, anesthesia and pain management, and the unique needs of special populations such as pediatric and geriatric patientsCoverage of more than 400 general and specialty surgical interventions includes minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgical procedures, whether performed in a hospital, ambulatory surgery setting, or in a doctor's officePerioperative nursing considerations are presented within the nursing process framework and include assessment, nursing diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, evaluation, discharge planning, and patient and family educationMore than 1,000 full-color photos and illustrations show surgical anatomy, procedures, methods, and equipmentSample plans of care include nursing diagnoses, outcomes, and interventionsResearch Highlight and Evidence for Practice boxes discuss recommendations for applying current scientific research to patient care Robotic-Assisted Surgery boxes highlight a rapidly expanding surgical modality. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery boxes promote protocols to improve outcomes, reduce the length of stay, and reduce the patient’s cost of care Patient Engagement Exemplar boxes optimize surgical outcomes by addressing AORN guidelines on the issues of patient care and involvement of the patient’s familyPatient Safety boxes highlight practices and initiatives for patient safety in the surgical settingPatient, Family, and Caregiver Education boxes include specific guidelines for preprocedural and/or postprocedural care, potential complications, home care, discharge instructions, and psychosocial care Ambulatory Surgery Considerations boxes highlight patient selection criteria, special anesthesia considerations, and patient assessment implications for outpatient surgical proceduresSurgical Pharmacology tables summarize the drugs most commonly used for each surgical specialty, including generic and trade names, indications, and pharmacokineticsCritical Thinking questions at the end of each chapter let you assess your understanding of important materialExam-style practice questions on the Evolve website include answers and rationalesReferences to AORN Guidelines and toolkits are discussed as relevant to the topicNEW! Additional content on infection prevention includes coverage of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Candida aurisNEW! Coverage of discharge planning and gender affirmation surgery is added to this edition

1216 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Jane C. Rothrock

11 books4 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
69 (54%)
4 stars
35 (27%)
3 stars
14 (11%)
2 stars
3 (2%)
1 star
6 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah.
148 reviews8 followers
February 18, 2009
i am back doing a lot of neuro at work and getting thrown into other surgeries i may not be super-familiar with. this is a great review. love this book. had to finally break down and buy it even though it's a textbook and cost about $100. valuable resource for any OR nurse!
Profile Image for Jen Langfeld.
1 review2 followers
March 24, 2017
this book can be purchased at ecampus.com for a fraction of the bookstore price. It's a very helpful guide for case summaries and instrumentation
Profile Image for Samantha.
366 reviews6 followers
Read
November 7, 2008
Great orientation or refresher for the operation room nurse.
Profile Image for Kay.
84 reviews3 followers
June 3, 2011
This textbook is an excellent resource for surgical technologists. Well written and well organized with excellent and up to date information.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews