New OR Managers
Ice machines spread Legionella in hospital oncology unit, prompting testing overhaul
Editor's Note Legionalla contaminated a hospital ice machine and likely infected an oncology patient through aspirated ice chips, according to an April 30 report in Healio. Presented in a study at The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the incident prompted immediate changes to water testing protocols at AdventHealth,…
Study: Knowledge gaps hinder perioperative hypothermia prevention
Editor's Note Surgical staff support for OR temperature management is not always paired with the knowledge required to properly prevent perioperative hypothermia, according to an April 30 study in Nature: Scientific Reports. This multicenter, cross-sectional study surveyed 213 operating room professionals—surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses—across eight hospitals in northern China. The…
How to build credibility after a promotion
Takeaways • Credibility and trust are intertwined. • Keeping a covenant with staff, cultivating executive presence, and building relationships help establish credibility. • Situations that pose challenges to building credibility include the first leadership role and leading in areas where the new manager lacks expertise. Whether it is a first-time…
Time for a surgical skills check? Inside the ACS stance on aging physicians
Takeaways • US surgeons have no mandated retirement age. According to the Aging Surgeon Program, “a patient death or serious negative event are currently the only things that prompt action to prevent a surgeon from practicing.” • Research on aging-related decline is clear, but nuanced, showing rates and scope vary…
Preadmission clinics drive better surgical outcomes, lower costs, fewer cancellations
Editor's Note Preadmission clinics (PACs) are supporting perioperative care by reducing complications, shortening hospital stays, and improving surgical outcomes—particularly for high-risk patients. As detailed in the April 2025 edition of ASA Monitor from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), PACs operate as multidisciplinary outpatient hubs where medical optimization, risk assessment,…
Healthcare employment up in April, but overall job market raises concerns
Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 177,000 from April to May, the May 2 announcement from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, is unchanged at 4.2%—a narrow range that has been maintained since May 2024, according to the BLS news release. In…
Bold moves in the OR: Perioperative leaders size up 2025 amid turbulent first quarter
Why reflect on the past? Reflection anchors strategy and revitalizes purpose. Since the start of the year, the economy has been unstable, regulations have been in flux, and the livelihood of many is being put through grueling tests. But reflecting on the triumphs of past years shows that under the…
Study shows WHO surgical checklist boosts safety, but compliance gaps risk patient outcomes
Editor’s Note Tertiary hospitals are embracing the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC), yet inconsistent compliance—especially during time-out—exposes patients to avoidable risks, Cureus April 29 reports. In this study, the researchers found that while overall integration of the SSC is promising, there were compliance gaps particularly in pre-incision…
Kentucky Derby, SPD race: Leadership lessons energized SPD professionals at HSPA 2025
Editor's Note A session at the 2025 Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Annual Conference used a striking analogy, comparing the Kentucky Derby to the daily operations of a sterile processing department (SPD) to energize professionals and reframe persistent challenges in the field, Infection Control Today April 27 reports. The article…
How dialogue, data bridge the OR-SPD information gap
In the OR, precision and focus can mean the difference between life and death. However, surgical patient outcomes hinge on more than the competence of those working in these inherently intense environments. Every procedure also depends on the laborious, behind-the-scenes efforts of the people responsible for ensuring every surgical instrument…
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- Study: Long working hours alter brain regions tied to emotion, cognition
- Survey: Burnout, rigid schedules push nurses to leave
- UCLA surgeons perform world’s first bladder transplant
- AHA urges HHS to cut regulations that burden hospitals and staff
- Commentary: Overlooking, underfunding perioperative mental health threatens patients
- Study: Fewer men undergo unnecessary prostate cancer surgery amid rise in active surveillance
- OpenAI benchmarking tool tests healthcare LLMs
- Healthgrades recognizes top 15% of hospitals for patient experience in 2025
- Q1 reports show climb in outpatient surgical volume, diverging trends at Surgery Partners, Ardent Health
- Study: SGLT2 inhibitors raise postop euglycemic ketoacidosis risk but lower mortality