Objective To explore the application effect of healthcare failure mode and effect analysis (HFMEA) in nursing risk management of emergency surgery for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods Taking the HFMEA model as the theoretical framework, the emergency surgical process of TBI was analyzed, a flow chart was drawn, and the potential risk factors were analyzed. Corresponding intervention programs were adopted for high-risk failure modes, and 80 patients from November 2022 to April 2023 were conducted with routine management before implementation of HFMEA (control group), the other 80 patients from May to October 2023 were conducted with management after implementation of HFMEA (observation group). The surgical efficiency (preoperative waiting time, surgical preparation time, anesthesia induction time, postoperative handover time), the incidence rates of adverse events in the operation room (incomplete preparation of supplies, contamination of surgical drapes, insufficient or defective intraoperative instruments, errors in writing nursing records, incorrect or missing items in handover information), the incidence rates of perioperative complications (low intraoperative body temperature, pressure injury, abnormal fluctuations in vital signs during surgery, wound infection, lung infection) and satisfaction degree of surgical doctors to nurses for current operations (itinerant nurses, instrument nurses) were compared between two groups.

Results The observation group had significantly shorter preoperative waiting time, surgical preparation time, anesthesia induction time, and postoperative handover time compared to the control group (P < 0.01). The incidence rate of adverse events in the operation room for the observation group was 16.25%, which was significantly lower than 46.25% of the control group (P < 0.01). The incidence rate of complications was 8.75% in the observation group, which was significantly lower than 26.25% in the control group (P < 0.01). Satisfaction degree of the doctors to nurses for the current operation in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Application of the HFMEA model in the perioperative nursing management of patients with emergency surgery for TBI can effectively improve surgical efficiency, reduce the incidence rates of nursing-related adverse events and complications, and enhance satisfaction degree of doctors to nurses in operation room.