Editor's Note Findings published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show how a standardized handoff protocol can improve OR communication and reduce the risk of error, Medical Xpress reported on June 19. The study focused specifically on SHRIMPS, a standardized handoff protocol developed by the quality improvement…

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Editor's Note Nearly half of hospital executives report that their hospitals are not fully prepared to cope with patient volumes, Becker’s Hospital Review reported June 13. Citing the June 12 Hospital Operations Outlook Survey from FTI Consulting, Becker’s reports that nursing and mental and behavior health specialists represent the greatest…

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For me, the answer is easy. For 25 years I have consistently said, “I’ve never nursed an OR a day in my life; it’s always been the patients.” As perioperative nurses, what we do is about more than where we work. Why is it that 25 years after the Association…

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Complex problems do not always require complex solutions. Consider the surgical safety checklist. In 2020, more than a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) started advocating that every hospital use the checklist, research from PSNET found that more than 90% of ORs in countries with a high human development…

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Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is one of the most common procedures in the US. Performed more than 17.1 million times per year in inpatient and outpatient hospital settings as well as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), GI procedures account for 68% of all endoscopies, according to a May 2022 article in Digestive…

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Competency assessment in perioperative nursing—and American healthcare in general—is a story of unrealized potential. Particularly in the wake of the pandemic, staffing shortfalls and financial pressures have made focusing on staff development difficult for nurse leaders. Nonetheless, the argument for investing more in professional development and competency has never been…

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Editor's Note Healthcare executives expect the US nurse shortage to worsen, according to the 2024 Healthcare Executive Report from Incredible Health, a career marketplace for healthcare workers. Projected to reach 1 million by 2030, the shortage is exacerbating stress on current staff and compromising care quality, according to the company’s June…

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Editor's Note Coworker and employer support strongly influence nurses' intentions to remain in their jobs, while symptoms of depression are associated with nurses planning to leave, according to a study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Available to the public September 30…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published 2023 survey data for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), highlighting top citations, ASC Focus June 7 reports. Due to system migrations, public data updates halted since May 2022, but CMS staff provided data to ASCA on May 30, 2024. The…

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Editor's Note Negative portrayals of nursing on social media play a major role in deterring members of Generation Z from pursuing careers in the profession, according to survey results from nursing marketplace platform ShiftKey. According to a June 4 report in The Hill, the survey involved 1,000 individuals aged 18…

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