The Big Easy put on a big program for the more than 1,400 perioperative nurse leaders and other healthcare professionals who flocked to New Orleans in September for the annual OR Manager Conference. Both the conference and PACU Manager Summit offered provocative new input and highly entertaining networking events. The…

Read More

OR nurse leaders are struggling not only to recruit staff, but to retain them—especially as younger generations begin to dominate the work pool. A 2019 study by Dowling Dols and colleagues found that Millennials were generally satisfied with their jobs, yet they anticipated staying with their current employer for 3.03…

Read More

Our series on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), which began last month with an overview of its history and perioperative pathway, continues in this issue with examples of improved outcomes and the roles played by perioperative team members (see p 18). ERAS, known to speed recovery and increase patient satisfaction,…

Read More

Recruiting OR staff who will best meet culture and competency expectations is a three-pronged process that starts with a sound marketing strategy, progresses to the application and interview stage, and concludes with the decision to hire and onboard. Parts 1 and 2 of this three-part series covered the roles that…

Read More

The US has been on a journey for the last several years to reduce the cost of healthcare. In 2017, the percent of gross domestic product attributed to healthcare goods and services was at 17.9%. This is expected to reach as much as 19.4% by the year 2027.1 Factors contributing…

Read More

Internal surgical staplers made headline news in 2019. Reports discussed the little-known US Food and Drug Administration database housing tens of thousands of stapler-related problem reports and covered the agency’s recent proposal to reclassify staplers as Class II devices, instead of the more lightly regulated Class I. ECRI Institute named…

Read More

  Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a highly effective treatment for end-stage degenerative joint disease and has helped patients regain functional mobility with reduced pain and improved quality of life. Every year, almost 700,000 primary TKA procedures are performed in the US.1 This number is expected to grow to 3.48…

Read More

Obesity rates and, consequently, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are on the rise in the US, and an increasing number of obese patients are undergoing surgical procedures at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Healthcare providers at such facilities are adding procedures and taking steps to ensure the safety of patients whose body…

Read More