Which key element is NOT typically included in a perioperative nursing care plan?

In the context of perioperative nursing, the care plan is designed to address the needs and safety of the patient undergoing surgery. Typically, a comprehensive perioperative nursing care plan includes multiple critical elements such as patient assessment, diagnosis, and expected outcomes.

Patient assessment involves gathering detailed information about the patient's health status, including medical history, physical examination findings, and any psychosocial factors that may affect their surgery. Diagnosis refers to the identification of nursing diagnoses based on assessment data, which helps to guide the development of interventions tailored to the patient’s needs. Expected outcomes are essential as they provide measurable goals to determine the effectiveness of the nursing care plan, ensuring that the patient achieves desired health results postoperatively.

In contrast, surgical technique selection is primarily the responsibility of the surgical team, including surgeons and surgical assistants, rather than the nursing staff. While nurses must be aware of the surgical techniques being employed, they do not typically make decisions about which surgical technique to use in a care plan, as this falls outside the nursing scope of practice focused on patient care and advocacy. Therefore, surgical technique selection is not included as a standard element in a perioperative nursing care plan.