Therapy dogs ease nurse burnout, boost morale
Editor's Note A recent article in HealthLeaders profiles an innovative approach to alleviating nurse burnout—one that the outlet calls “a four-legged answer to nurse wellbeing.” Launched in 2020 at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the Buckeye Paws program brings certified therapy dogs directly to nursing units, offering nonjudgmental,…
Study: Daytime meals protect heart health in night shift workers
Editor's Note Eating during the day instead of at night may protect shift workers from harmful cardiovascular effects, according to an April 17 report in Medscape on new research from Mass General Brigham. Researchers found that the timing of meals—not just their content—directly influences cardiac and clotting function in adults…
Health systems boost security spending as workplace violence escalates
Editor's Note Hospitals are ramping up security in response to rising workplace violence, investing millions in weapons detection, staffing, and risk mitigation, according to an April 14 article in Modern Healthcare. Quoting executives from several large systems, the article details a shift from viewing security as a budgetary burden to…
Hospital staffing report: Nurse turnover eases but vacancies, costs remain high
Editor's Note Hospitals made strides in reducing nurse turnover in 2024, yet staffing gaps and financial pressures remain significant, according to the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. Key findings include: The national registered nurse (RN) turnover rate declined by 2.0 percentage points to 16.4%, marking…
Study: Excessive nurse overtime, agency staffing harm patients
Editor's Note Overreliance on overtime and agency nurse staffing can significantly increase the risk of pressure ulcers and, in the case of agency hours, perioperative hemorrhage or hematoma, according to research published April 2 in JAMA Network Open. Using data from 70 US hospitals between 2019 and 2022, researchers…
Nurses deem flexible, transparent scheduling key to satisfaction, retention
Editor's Note Giving nurses more control over their schedules significantly improves job satisfaction and retention, according to a March 31 article in Medical Xpress. The article focuses on a study consisting of 16 qualitative interviews with nurses and nurse managers, who cited flexibility, transparency, equity, and autonomy as key factors…
4-day workweek boosts job satisfaction, work-life balance for nurse leaders
Editor's Note A pilot 4-day workweek program improved job satisfaction, work-life balance, and confidence among nurse leaders at Fox Chase Cancer Center, according to a March 3 report in Healio. The initiative, implemented in 2021, showed sustained benefits over time, suggesting alternative scheduling models could help mitigate burnout and improve…
Providence Health strike ends with wage increases, staffing changes
Editor's Note Nearly 5,000 healthcare workers at Providence Health in Oregon secured substantial wage increases and improved staffing plans, ending a historic six-week strike that began January 10, according to a February 25 article in MedPage Today. According to the article, the strike involved eight RN bargaining units and marked…
Opening Keynote: Charting Your Course to Success—Financial Wins through Value-Based Performance
Editor's Note Although the central tenets of value-based healthcare have not changed, in many cases implementation has been reduced to little more than reducing costs, to the detriment of clinicians and patients. In a session at the 2025 OR Business Management Conference in February, economist Susanna Gallani, PhD, examined this…
Navigating difficult conversations as a perioperative leader
Perioperative leaders navigate some of the most challenging dynamics in healthcare. The precision required in the OR coupled with multidisciplinary teams and diverse personalities often lead to missteps or misunderstandings that can quickly brew into conflict. Effective communication is essential, particularly when addressing behavior, managing team dynamics, or delivering difficult…
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- Telemedicine transforms postoperative care through safer, faster, patient-centered recovery
- Study: Prolonged COVID symptoms more likely for healthcare workers
- Study: Patients of female surgeons experience fewer complications, lower long-term readmission
- OR traffic, workflow disruptions drive infection risk
- Proactive strategies help healthcare supply chains withstand tariff pressures
- Study: EEG-guided anesthesia halves anesthetic use, accelerates recovery in pediatric surgery
- Study: Longer shifts, understaffing increase nurse sickness absence
- Power loss risks prompt FDA Class 1 recall designation for heart pump accessories
- Therapy dogs ease nurse burnout, boost morale
- Personalized perioperative pain management reduces opioid use