Tag: Disaster Planning

Orlando surgeons, OR staff saved dozens of lives

Editor's Note Orlando Regional Medical Center treated 44 of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims; nine died, the June 14 Modern Healthcare reports. A total of 26 surgical procedures were performed early Sunday morning, June 12, six more were performed on Monday, and eight were performed on Tuesday, June 14, with…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
June 15, 2016
Share

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…

Read More

By: OR Manager
January 20, 2016
Share

ASA releases new checklist for mass casualty situations

Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists on December 7 released a new resource for hospitals, physicians, and OR personnel—the Operating Room Mass Casualty Management checklist. The tool helps anesthesiologists and OR personnel optimize their response and better manage the flow of patient care during mass casualty events. The checklist…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
December 8, 2015
Share

Disaster planning exercises prepare ASCs to care for patients and assist communities

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are taking a new look at the question of disaster response. Staff are not always informed about what emergencies might occur, or what they should do in response to the most likely scenarios. Likewise, many local emergency management agencies are not even aware of the ASCs…

Read More

By: Paula DeJohn
November 18, 2015
Share

Ebola surgical protocols enhance safety of patients and personnel

In the months since Ebola patients were first treated in US hospitals, much progress has been made in establishing protocols to protect patients and healthcare workers from harm. Though the number of Ebola patients in the US remains small compared with the thousands in African countries, the disease continues to…

Read More

By: OR Manager
March 26, 2015
Share

Former OR Manager of the Year directs team at Nebraska biocontainment unit

Two OR nurses are part of a diverse team that cares for Ebola patients at the Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit in Omaha, and the team’s nursing director is Shelly Schwedhelm, MSN, RN, a former OR Manager of the Year. “I chose OR nurses to be on the team because…

Read More

By: OR Manager
November 17, 2014
Share

Preparing for disaster: Boston hospitals know the drill but keep practicing

In the days after the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013, many praised the way the city’s hospitals responded to the attack. But clinicians in those hospitals aren’t resting on their laurels. They have examined what worked well (and not so well) after the event and continue to plan…

Read More

By: OR Manager
February 1, 2014
Share

Surgeons call for community response to mass casualty incidents

Shooting incidents are occurring throughout the US with increasing and alarming frequency. Among those in late 2013: the Washington, DC, Navy Yard on September 16—12 dead, 3 injured before the gunman took his own life; the Sparks, Nevada middle school on October 21—1 dead, 2 wounded before the student wielding…

Read More

By: OR Manager
January 1, 2014
Share

APIC guide highlights role of ambulatory care in disaster response

A new publication by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) zeros in on the role of outpatient care facilities in responding to disasters—specifically, how they can prevent infection in their patients, staff, and the community at large. The guide, “Infection Prevention for Ambulatory Care Centers During…

Read More

By: OR Manager
November 1, 2013
Share

Surviving a disaster: Nurses recall Moore's fierce tornado

It had been a busy morning in the OR at Moore Medical Center in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20. By 3 pm, the surgery patients had left the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and gone home. PACU nurses Debra Breshears, RN, and Barbra Barrow, RN, were getting ready to leave when…

Read More

By: OR Manager
August 1, 2013
Share

Join our community

Learn More
Video Spotlight
Live chat by BoldChat