Global

Perioperative safety: Time-out, counts, asepsis and fire risk for theatre nurses

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 14 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At theatre induction, annually
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Grey areas
What would you do?

At closure the swab count is one short

Try it: this is one of 21 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Scenario, flashcards, tabs, accordion and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, poll, word cloud, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 307.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentnoneWhole course
SO 307.1Carry out your part of sign-in, time-out and sign-out and speak up if the team skips a step + your infoExamples: WHO Surgical Safety Checklist; NatSSIPs 2; Joint Commission Universal ProtocolWhole course
SO 307.2Describe when counts are done, what to do about a discrepancy and who to tell + your infoExamples: AORN guidelines; local count policyWhole course
SO 307.3Protect the sterile field and recognise and report an asepsis breach + your infoExamples: AORN guidelines; local policyWhole course
SO 307.4Explain the fire triangle in theatre and the first actions if a fire starts + your infoExamples: NFPA 99; local fire planWhole course
SO 307.5Support safe pre-operative preparation, handover and post-operative recovery, and recognise and escalate complications + your infoExamples: NatSSIPs 2; local policyWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 14 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why small checks save lives

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
Theatre 3, first case of the morningTextImageChecklist
What would you say?Key factFlashcardsQuiz
2

The checklist and the count in brief

3 pages

7 min
Three pausesTabsNote
CountsAccordionNote
CheckFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

Asepsis and fire risk: a routine

3 pages

7 min
Protect the fieldProcess
Fire triangleTabsNote
Put it in orderSorting activityQuiz
4

Grey areas

3 pages

7 min
ScenarioScenario
ScenarioScenarioQuiz
ScenarioScenarioSorting activityMatching quiz
5

Speak up, hand over and recover

3 pages

7 min
Who to tellProcessYour infoYour infoYour infoNote
Handover and recoveryAccordionNote
ScenarioScenarioYour infoQuizButtonYour info
6

Final assessment

2 pages

5 min
PracticeQuiz
CompletionKey factListNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "anyone can call a pause" (speaker notes: template page URL)
PollWhich is hardest to protect when a list runs late? (The time-out · The count · The sterile field · The handover)
ContentThe three pauses and the fire triangle
QuizWho can pause a procedure for a safety concern?" (Any member of the team ✔ · Only the surgeon · Only the lead nurse · Only the anaesthetist)
QuizThe swab count is one short at closure. You…" (Tell the surgeon, recount and follow the policy ✔ · Assume a miscount · Close and tell later · Add a swab)
Word cloudOne thing that helps a team stay calm during a count discrepancy
Content · customiseCustomise: our checklist, count policy and fire plan" with {{LOCAL_SURGICAL_SAFETY_CHECKLIST}}, {{COUNT_POLICY_LINK}}, {{THEATRE_FIRE_PLAN}}
ScaleHow confident are you speaking up at the time-out?" 1 to 5
Open-ended / Q&AA time a pause made a difference (no names)
Content · customiseClosing {{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you handling a count discrepancy? 1-5 scale
  6. Have you paused a procedure since the course? multiple choice
  7. What barrier did you meet in speaking up? short text
  8. Anyone in my theatre can pause a procedure without being judged. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the local surgical safety and count policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

14 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Clinical education contact{{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}
  • Local policy link{{LOCAL_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Incident reporting route{{INCIDENT_REPORTING_ROUTE}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • Regulator and standards{{REGULATOR_AND_STANDARDS}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 14 fields
  • Local surgical safety checklist{{LOCAL_SURGICAL_SAFETY_CHECKLIST}}
  • Count policy link{{COUNT_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Theatre fire plan{{THEATRE_FIRE_PLAN}}
  • Malignant hyperthermia protocol{{MALIGNANT_HYPERTHERMIA_PROTOCOL}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run perioperative safety: Time-out, counts, asepsis and fire risk for theatre nurses training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At theatre induction, annually, and after a count, wrong-site or fire near miss.

Who needs this training?

Registered nurses, scrub and circulating practitioners, and recovery and ward nurses in operating theatres, day surgery and pre- and post-operative areas; run by the perioperative or clinical nurse educator, theatre manager or clinical education lead.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck