The Oak May 2026
We are very excited to be bringing the perioperative nursing community back together on 14 May. I look forward to the upcoming conference. Let’s also take a moment to recognise International Nurses Day on 12 May and celebrate the dedication, expertise and impact of our fellow nurses across all settings.
The public consultation process for the draft standards have closed. Overall, the response to the public consultation has been outstanding. Your feedback is very important.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment and support. We look forward to seeing many of you at the conference and sharing more about our strategic direction in the weeks ahead.
Tracy Kerle
On International Nurses Day 2026, we celebrate the ACORN perioperative nursing community and the vital role perioperative nurses play in safe patient care.
This year’s theme – Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives – recognises that empowering nurses strengthens patient safety, improves outcomes and advances health care.
In the perioperative environment, empowered nurses lead evidence-based practice, advocate for patients, drive innovation and contribute to safer surgery every day.
Today we celebrate your expertise, leadership and dedication. Empowered perioperative nurses save lives.
The public consultation period for ACORN's SSQCPE and PPSPN standards has now officially closed, marking a significant milestone in the development of the 2026 edition of The ACORN Standards.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the hundreds of individuals and organisations who contributed feedback. Submissions were received from a wide range of stakeholders, including members of the multidisciplinary team, infection prevention and control professionals, safety and quality organisations, as well as patients, carers and those with lived experience. Importantly, we were pleased to receive input from every state and territory across Australia, along with national and international contributions.
A key measure of consultation success was the final question posed for each standard: 'Overall, are you satisfied with the quality and content of this standard?' We are delighted to report an outstanding collated response of 91.38 per cent ‘Yes’, well exceeding our benchmark target of 80 per cent, with a further 3.45 per cent indicating ‘Unsure’.
This result reflects the strength of the extensive collaboration underpinning the development and review of these draft standards prior to consultation. It also provides strong assurance that the revised standards resonate with and meet the expectations of the perioperative community.
We would like to acknowledge and thank everyone involved in this two-year journey. Your expertise, insight and commitment have been instrumental in shaping these standards into practical, evidence-based resources designed to support high-quality, safe perioperative nursing care.
We now look forward to the official launch of the 2026 edition of The ACORN Standards at the ACORN 2026 Conference taking place from 14 to 16 May 2026 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. This will be accompanied by masterclass workshops dedicated to supporting implementation of ACORN's standards in practice.
It is truly an exciting time for evidence-based perioperative nursing – translating research into clinician-focused guidance that strengthens patient safety and quality care across Australia and beyond.
Transition to practice programs for novice perioperative nurses in Australia: Insights into program structure, duration, and educational approaches – a mixed-methods study
Nick Nijkamp, Pauline Calleja, Leanne Jack, Ashlyn Sahay
The intensive care unit (ICU) nurse’s role in reducing complications after cardiac surgery: An integrative review
Joanne Mason, Paula Foran
ACORN 2026 Conference
14–16 May 2026, Brisbane Convention Centre
Papua New Guinea Perioperative Nurses Society (PNGPNS) Conference
16–17 July 2026, Port Moresby