How AORN Develops and Provides Its Perioperative Guidelines

AORN (the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses) develops its Guidelines for Perioperative Practice using evidence-based methods, then distributes them through membership, facility subscriptions, and a public comment process. The guidelines exist to define standards that help protect both surgical patients and healthcare workers, and AORN pairs them with implementation tools so teams can apply standardized techniques facility-wide. If you want the current guidelines plus the tools to put them into practice, the practical routes are an AORN membership or an online facility subscription.

How the guidelines are developed

AORN states that it uses evidence-based guidelines to define the standards that help keep healthcare workers and surgical patients safe. Two features of the process are visible on the site:

• Evidence-based foundation — the guidelines are positioned as standards derived from evidence rather than individual opinion, which is why they are described as supporting high-quality care.
• Public comment on drafts — AORN opens selected guidelines for public commenting before finalization. At the time of the source material, commenting was open for the Guideline for Care of the Patient Receiving Moderate Sedation/Analgesia, with an invitation to "share your input."

That public comment window is the main way non-members and the broader perioperative community can influence a guideline while it is still in draft form.

How the guidelines are provided

AORN does not distribute the guidelines through a single channel. The source material shows several access paths, each aimed at a different user.

The membership trial is described as "$1" for two months of full access, with the stated terms "No risk. Cancel anytime." Because the source does not list standard membership pricing beyond this trial, treat the $1 figure as a trial offer rather than the ongoing rate.

What the facility subscription adds

The online facility subscription is the route built for applying guidelines across a whole department. According to the source, it provides access to the most current AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practice and comes with a complete set of implementation tools and resources intended to "empower your team to apply standardized techniques facility-wide." If your goal is consistency across an OR suite rather than individual reference, this is the relevant option.

Where education fits in

Guidelines and training are connected on the site. AORN's education offerings carry credit values in CH (contact hours), AEU (AORN Education Units), and IPCH (IPCH credits), and several are explicitly tied to applying perioperative standards:

• A hybrid course for new and returning labor and delivery nurses who participate in Cesarean section procedures, listed at 36.4 CH, 36.4 AEU, 9.7 IPCH, described as providing the clinical foundation for safe surgical practice.
• Periop 101 OR, an online course preparing novice nurses for the operating room, listed at 39.8 CH, 39.8 AEU, 10.8 IPCH, and described as part of the full Periop 101 Program.
• Additional courses listed with credit values such as 18.5 CH, 18.5 AEU.

These are education products rather than the guidelines themselves, but they are the structured way to build the knowledge the guidelines assume.

Choosing your route

• If you are an individual nurse who wants the guidelines plus implementation tools and continuing education, start with the membership trial and confirm the ongoing price before it renews.
• If you are equipping a facility or team, the online facility subscription is the option described as delivering current guidelines with a full implementation toolset for facility-wide use.
• If you want to influence a specific guideline, watch the public comment announcements and submit input during the open window — for example, the moderate sedation/analgesia guideline when commenting was open.
• If you need structured training alongside the standards, look at the credit-bearing courses and match the course to your role (for example, Periop 101 OR for nurses new to the OR).

One caveat worth noting: the source material does not list standard membership pricing, subscription pricing, or login requirements, so verify current cost and access terms directly on aorn.org before committing.