OR competency programs boost staff loyalty and productivity
Much has been written about projected nursing shortages and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining nurses. With few options for structured education specifically geared toward the OR, and pending retirements of many perioperative services leaders, most healthcare facilities are relying on staff—which may or may not include a nurse educator—to…
Operational efficiencies: Improvement in first-case start times
Many OR leaders have taken on process improvement projects in an effort to save time and money, and some are more successful than others. For some facilities, partnerships with industry experts can enhance the likelihood of achieving and sustaining goals. Such was the case for Beloit Memorial Hospital, which teamed…
Musical preference differs by OR specialty, professional role
Editor's Note Musical preferences and perceptions of the effect of music in the OR differ by professional status and specialty, this study finds. A survey of 282 patients and 390 providers (ie, physicians, residents, and nurses in anesthesiology and surgery), found that: Patients who highly enjoyed music said it alleviated…
Implications of patient age, ASA status on OR management decisions
Editor's Note Evaluation of patient age and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status as variables can help OR managers better predict turnaround times, which can facilitate scheduling, this study finds. Researchers developed models of turnaround times of 13, 632 OR procedures with respect to multiple variables including surgical schedule,…
Advance preparation tends to waste many absorbable hemostatic agents
Results of a recent survey suggest that a great deal of unnecessary product waste could be avoided if OR nurses changed their approach to using absorbable hemostatic agents. The survey, administered electronically to 200 US registered nurses in late 2014, found that 62% of respondents prepared absorbable hemostatic agents before…
Joint Commission: Michigan second state to partner on statewide high reliability effort
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on March 9 that the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and its member hospitals have partnered with the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare on a statewide high reliability organization improvement effort. Michigan is the second state to partner with the Center; South Carolina…
Manage physician preference cards to boost efficiency and patient safety
Surgeons often complain that their physician preference cards (PPCs) are not current, and keeping on top of the situation can be a struggle. Yet having accurate information on these cards greatly enhances both efficiency and patient safety, say surgical services leaders who have overhauled their systems. In this article, experts…
Dedication, determination help tame PPC beast
Even the most experienced OR leaders often view physician preference cards (PPCs) as a beast that acts out and demands attention at the most inconvenient times. Two organizations that have managed to tame the PPC beast shared their experiences with OR Manager. Updating cards saves more than $3.2 million Tresa…
New schedule adds efficiency, bolsters caseload
Theoretical advantages exist for both block and nonblock scheduling. Facilities with enough space and staff may be able to schedule cases on the basis of patient and surgeon convenience, but that doesn’t work for facilities with less flexibility. At our facility, problems associated with first-come, first-served booking led to an…
Nurse leaders play pivotal role in implementing enhanced recovery programs
Frequently OR leaders are at the forefront of implementing enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols. They have the skills to facilitate implementation of ERAS and to dispel any misconceptions about it, says Donna Watson, MSN, RN, CNOR, FNP. Watson, director for Medtronic Health Systems Advantage in Boulder, Colorado, is an…
Free Daily News
- Report: Consistent, purposeful manager-team engagement reduces RN turnover
- Death, hospital readmission less likely for women treated by female doctors
- FDA announces class 1 recalls for infusion pumps, anesthesia workstation
- Study finds workforce readiness gap in new nurses
- Joint replacement manufacturer recalls products after FDA packaging warning
- Gene-edited pig kidney, heart pump combined in transplant surgery milestone
- Catheter sterility concerns prompt Class 1 FDA recall for surgery trays
- Large amounts of personal data possibly stolen in Change Healthcare cyberattack
- AI model helps predict patient decline, drive collaborative care
- One patient’s recovery highlights benefits of outpatient endoscopic spine surgery