Tapping incoming or newly graduated OR nurses as champions and preceptors for initiatives works quite well, say some OR leaders. Though less experienced than their peers, these nurses bring to the table up-to-date knowledge, energy, a fresh set of eyes, and comfort with new technology. In turn, making them experts…

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Editor's Note Dissemination of low-cost patient education brochures improved disposal of unused opioids after surgery, this study finds. The study involved 334 patients−164 who did not receive the brochure and 170 who did receive it. Patients who received the brochure informing them of appropriate methods for disposal were twice as…

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Editor's Note New York is the first state to require new nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing within 10 years of initial licensure, the January 2 HealthLeaders Media reports. The legislation takes effect immediately; however, the degree requirement does not start for 30 months. The new…

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Perioperative services leaders seeking to improve safety and efficiency without sacrificing quality may want to turn to remote video auditing (RVA), which is being successfully used in hospital ORs and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). “We’ve seen improved patient safety, efficiency, and cleaning processes,” says Sheldon Newman, MD, executive vice chairman…

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Session evaluations from the 2017 OR Manager Conference attendees gave uniformly high marks to the keynote speakers. A common theme in many of their presentations was workplace attitudes. They discussed challenges such as converting the disengaged to the highly engaged employee, and fostering a sense of ownership. A workshop on…

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With each passing year, the business of healthcare delivery grows more complex—never more so than in 2017, when a new administration began to grapple with a major overhaul of the Affordable Care Act and changes to provider payment models. Thanks to an unprecedented number of proposals submitted for the 2018…

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Editor's Note Overlapping surgery can be safely performed without risking patient safety, this study from Emory University Hospital finds. Of 2,275 neurosurgical cases included in the analysis, 1,303 were overlapping and 972 were nonoverlapping. The researchers found no difference between overlapping and nonoverlapping neurosurgical procedures in terms of 90-day postoperative…

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Editor's Note Electronic mandatory incident reporting system data entry and an initiative to understand and address reporting barriers and motivators were associated with sustained increases in adverse event reporting by pediatric anesthesiologists, in this study. Of 72,384 pediatric anesthetics analyzed, there were 2,689 adverse events. A subgroup of 54,469 cases…

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Editor's Note Opioid use in total hip and knee patients decreased by one-third between 2006 and 2014, which reflects success in the use of a multimodal approach (ie, opioids plus additional pain management methods, such as peripheral nerve blocks and acetaminophen) to pain management, finds this study presented October 21…

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Editor's Note Standardizing clinical processes for outpatient hernia repairs reduced postoperative pain and unplanned returns to the emergency department (ED), finds this study presented October 23 at the American College of Surgeons 2017 Clinical Congress in San Diego. Researchers developed a standardized eight-step protocol that incorporated best practices and enhanced…

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