The Guidelines Book That Defines Safe Surgery: Order the Updated 2026 Edition

Anchor yourself in evidence-based practice.

Order now

36 Guidelines. 6 Critical Guideline Updates. 1 Trusted Source.

The AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practice are a collection of evidence-based practice recommendations developed using reproduceable and trustworthy methods.

The 2026 edition includes critical updates to 6 Guidelines that your perioperative team can’t afford to ignore.

Every Guideline is backed by evidence, peer reviewed, crafted by expert authors, and sharpened to reflect modern practice.

It’s why more than 40,000 perioperative professionals trust the Guidelines as their north star. And why every perioperative leader keeps a copy within reach. Because when practice is questioned, the most current Guidelines serve as the single source of truth.

What’s New in 2026?

This year's edition features 36 Guidelines with critical updates to 6 Guidelines addressing some of the issues that create the most survey citations, safety events, and hidden costs.

Updated with a wealth of new evidence, much from COVID-19 pandemic research, with new risk-assessment frameworks that help your team apply the right precautions at the right time.

Improper selection, application, or monitoring can increase the risk of serious complications. The revised Guideline can help you evaluate your practices and protect patients through updated pneumatic tourniquet safety recommendations.

Preserving and replanting autologous tissue may improve the patient's long-term outcomes. Minimize the risk for patient and staff infection and preserve the clinical viability of the tissue with this revised Guideline that spells out guidance on all steps without ambiguity.

Failure to correctly clean and decontaminate surgical instruments and medical devices can put patients at risk for developing an SSI. Give your team a step-by-step playbook from pre-purchase evaluation to point-of-use treatment, transport, decontamination, inspection, and more.

The Joint Commission reports 90–100 surgical fires/year in U.S. hospitals, most involving electrosurgical tools. This updated Guideline equips your team with fire-triad prevention strategies that avert catastrophe.

Local anesthesia is safe and effective, although, rarely, a patient may have a toxic systemic, allergic, or adverse reaction to the local anesthetic. The updated Guideline includes new research on local anesthetic system toxicity (LAST) and outlines practical steps for how perioperative teams can prepare, starting with awareness.

Order now to make sure your facility is at the forefront of perioperative care

Because best practice is the only practice.
2026 AORN Guidelines Print Book.
2026 AORN Guidelines eBook.

Purchase via credit card by ordering through the AORN store above. Purchase via facility purchase order by following the instructions on the Facility Order Form.

The Power of the AORN Guidelines

When a surgeon challenges you, when a surveyor comes knocking, or when your staff looks at you for the right call, you need more than a hunch. You need the unabridged truth.

With the 2026 AORN Guidelines book, you hold the definitive perioperative reference that can help prevent costly mistakes and lay the foundation to advocate for staff and patient safety.

The 2026 Guidelines book delivers:

  • Survey-proof policies: direct alignment with regulatory bodies and major healthcare accreditation agencies for disinfection, sterilization, and transmission-based precautions.
  • Defensible authority: back up practice decisions in real time when challenged by staff or surgeons.
  • Built-in ROI: adherence to the Guidelines can help reduce the risk of costly Health Care-Associated Infections (HAIs), surgical fires, and reprocessing errors – issues that drain budgets and reputations.

The 2026 AORN Guidelines book isn't a "nice-to-have." It is the trusted source that defines evidence-based perioperative practice. Because every patient deserves our very best.

Trusted by the Best in the OR

"Any time there was a fight in the OR about best practice, they'd say: let’s ask the AORN nurse. I'd grab my Guidelines book, and that was the end of the debate."

Pick Your Format

  • Print Book — $355 / $305 Member. The book itself remains a failsafe reference no facility library is complete without.
    • A perioperative badge of authority. A physical representation that your facility adheres to the gold standard of perioperative care; proudly pull it off your shelf with confidence.
  • eBook — $325 / $275 Member. Pre-Portable, searchable, accessible. Perfect for when you need fast answers.
    • Easy access for staff RNs, students, and teams on-the-go
    • Perfect companion for daily practice

Purchase via credit card by ordering through the AORN store. Purchase via facility purchase order by following the instructions on the Facility Order Form.