It is not unusual for OR leaders to perform many different roles: Boss, mentor, coach, facilitator, or participant, to name some. Administrators in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) likewise are tasked with many different responsibilities, often shifting among multiple roles within the same day. With the rapid growth in volume and…

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Editor's Note Academic medical center nurses have a high prevalence of insufficient sleep and symptoms of sleep disorders, finds this study presented June 10 at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in San Antonio. A survey of 1,165 nurses at an academic medical center found that: 49%…

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Editor's Note Hospitals with low failure to rescue (FTR) rates had significantly more staffing resources than hospitals with high FTR rates, this study finds. In this analysis of 44,567 surgical patients in the Michigan Quality Surgical Collaborative, hospital FTR rates across low, middle and high tertiles were 8.9%, 16.5%, and…

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Editor's Note A new survey by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and BDO Center for Healthcare Excellence & Innovation finds that clinical and business leaders value the innovation nurses bring to their organizations, just not at the C-suite level. Clinical and business leaders ranked skills, such as “the…

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Success for any new leader hinges on the ability to be both “student” and “teacher” because the role requires learning and mentoring. Striking a balance between these roles can be especially daunting for new perioperative services leaders, which is why Bruce Tulgan was invited to speak at the 2019 OR…

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Editor's Note In this study from the Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, researchers found that nurse understaffing is associated with increased risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Using data from 2007 to 2012 in a large urban hospital system: 15% of patient days had one shift understaffed (defined…

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Editor's Note The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) on May 5 announced that it is changing its name to the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL). The name change, which was announced at AONE’s annual meeting, also comes with a new tagline−Education Advocacy Community. The organization says the new…

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Editor's Note Physician burnout has reached a critically high level, fueled by regulatory, compliance, and technology demands, but health system leaders at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston are working to address and relieve burnout and bring the joy back to the practice of medicine with centrally and locally designed…

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Artificial intelligence (AI) may be coming to your OR sooner than you think. AI is already being used to identify areas needing quality improvement by analyzing surgical workflow, communication patterns, and errors that went unnoticed during a procedure. OR leaders need to understand AI and participate in its development and…

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Joint Commission require healthcare facilities to have policies and protocols in place for emergency situations and to hold regular practice drills. With natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, or fires, often there is at least some warning—some amount of time to…

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