OR competency programs boost staff loyalty and productivity
Much has been written about projected nursing shortages and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining nurses. With few options for structured education specifically geared toward the OR, and pending retirements of many perioperative services leaders, most healthcare facilities are relying on staff—which may or may not include a nurse educator—to…
Does surgical skill in one bariatric procedure predict outcomes for another?
Editor's Note Surgical skill in laparoscopic gastric bypass does not predict outcomes for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, this study finds. Surgeons with skill ratings in the top, middle, and bottom quartiles for laparoscopic gastric bypass had similar rates of complications after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (top 5.7%, Middle 6.4%, bottom 5.5%). In…
Military surgeons develop framework to sustain surgical skills
Editor's Note In a new study, military surgeons are proposing a new education and training paradigm that will benefit them and their patients in both military and civilian practice environments, the American College of Surgeons reports. Military surgeons face a unique challenge in that they serve as a “jack-of-all trades”…
Association between ‘July phenomenon’ and emergency general surgery patient outcomes
Editor's Note Emergency general surgery patients who were managed early in the academic year with an influx of new residents fared equally well, if not better, than patients who were managed later in the year in this study. Compared to patients managed later, early patients had lower risk-adjusted odds of…
Simulation can be an affordable tool for improving care
How can OR managers better prepare staff to handle crisis situations? How can they encourage teamwork? Increasingly, OR leaders are turning to simulation to answer those questions. OR leaders who think they can’t afford a high-fidelity manikin (one that talks and exhibits physiologic changes) and state-of-the-art simulation lab might…
Simulation lab a safe way to practice crisis management
Emergencies such as the one described above don’t happen frequently in the OR, but it is important to prepare for them, and simulation has emerged as an ideal educational tool. This scenario took place in a simulation lab, not a real OR, so the danger to the “patient” (manikin) consisted…
Professional peer review compels staff to improve performance and quality--Part 2
Part 1 of this two-part series, published in the January issue of OR Manager, discussed the concepts of professional peer review (PPR). In this article, experts from University Medical Center (UMC) in Lubbock, Texas, and Boston Medical Center share strategies for implementing the process. Staff involvement Once staff understand…
Lower patient satisfaction associated with nurses educated abroad
Many countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, rely on nurses trained abroad during times of nursing shortages. However, little is known about how this practice affects quality of care and patient satisfaction. A new study examines whether patient satisfaction with nursing care in National Health Service hospitals in…
ST to RN program speeds nurse orientation and bolsters perioperative workforce
When it comes to filling OR nursing positions, finding candidates who can fit into that environment is one challenge, and getting them up to speed quickly is another. Perioperative nurse leaders and educators at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, have found it worthwhile to invest in their surgical technologists…
Effect of resident involvement in surgery
Editor's Note Resident involvement in surgery is associated with comparable patient morbidity and lower mortality outcomes than procedures without residents, this study finds. The analysis used data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). The findings provide a reassuring answer to patients, attending surgeons,…
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