It is no long best practice to deliver education via a traditional lecture with PowerPoint slides or an unimaginative online learning module. “These techniques are boring and not effective,” says Beverly Kirchner, MSN, BSN, RN, CNOR(E), CASC, chief compliance officer for SurgeryDirect, LLC. “Staff just listen or read the information,…

Read More

Editor's Note A Johns Hopkins team is reporting unprecedented success in preventing pancreatic cancer recurrence by combining pre-surgical and intraoperative radiation focused on a key anatomical area near the pancreas, News Medical Life Sciences October 30 reports. Citing a Johns Hopkins Medicine preliminary study, this approach reportedly reduced recurrence around…

Read More

When it comes to treating chronic pain—or pain associated with surgery—clinicians are always looking for alternatives to opioids. “There are zero advantages to chronic opioid use,” says Earl Kilbride, MD, MHA, an orthopedic surgeon at the Austin Orthopedic Institute. While the US makes up about 4.4% of the global population,…

Read More

Editor's Note A Phase III clinical trial comparing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with traditional open-heart surgery found no significant differences in key health outcomes 7 years after treatment, Cedars-Sinai October 27 reports. The international PARTNER 3 trial, led by Raj Makkar, MD, and published in The New England Journal…

Read More

Editor's Note In an opinion piece published by STAT on October 30, authors Judy Stone, MD, retired infectious disease physician, medical journalist, and author, and Judith Feinberg, MD, professor of medicine/infectious disease and professor of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, argue that new…

Read More

Editor's Note Senator Bernie Sanders and nurse leaders are demanding immediate federal action to address what they describe as a national nurse staffing crisis that is driving moral distress among nurses and putting patients at risk, Nurse.org October 27 reports. A US Senate HELP Committee hearing spotlighted compelling testimony from…

Read More

Pinpoint accuracy in surgical technique has advanced beyond what many ever thought possible. Unfortunately, such refinements have been slower to reach the perioperative business front. OR leaders often rely on vague metrics and educated guesses to guide their teams. Ambient artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that. When integrated with data…

Read More

Effective communication is the foundation of patient safety in the modern surgical environment. Most surgical procedures depend on seamless collaboration among surgeons, nurses, surgical technologists, and anesthesiologists, and when communication breaks down, patient risk rises sharply. In 2024, the American College of Surgeons reported standardized surgical handoffs improved adherence to…

Read More

Editor's Note Advocacy begins where safety meets purpose. That was the resounding message from UF Health Shands’ Michele Brunges, MSN, RN, CNOR, CHSE, director of surgical services; Katherine Hayes, BSN, RN, CNOR-CARD, nursing professional development specialist for perioperative services; and Kristy Perry, MSN, RN, CNOR, clinical coordinator of the north…

Read More

Editor's Note Transparent communication, humility, and swift action are essential for effective service recovery in perioperative services, said Leiran Cornish, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, director of nursing, Dartmouth Health Outpatient Surgery Center, and Patrel Nobles, MSN, RN, NE-BC, CNOR,  system senior director, surgical services, Valley Health. Their session explored how nurse…

Read More