Quality Improvement: Reduce Specimen Labeling Errors
Editor's Note Surgical procedures frequently produce specimens for pathology to confirm diagnosis and ensure quality control. However, common errors such as look-alike sound-alike specimen labeling inaccuracies can compromise patient safety and negatively impact workflow efficiency, as discussed in an October 28 improvement brief in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality…
Targeted intraoperative radiation slashes pancreatic cancer recurrence to 5%
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…
Ambient AI reshapes nursing workflows and boosts patient interaction
Editor's Note Healthcare systems are finding that ambient AI built for doctors does not automatically translate to nursing care, HealthLeaders November 4 reports. However, Mercy for instance is piloting Microsoft’s Dragon Copilot AI for nursing and discovering that the nurse-patient encounter requires tailored design and training to capture accurate, useful…
No longer experimental: ASCs adopting peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic pain
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,…
Transparent oversight is key to safe surgical innovation
Editor's Note Unchecked surgical innovation can harm patients, derail careers, and erode trust, Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England October 31 reports. Failures to properly evaluate and monitor new or modified procedures have led to patient harm, surgeon suspensions, and even criminal convictions, per the article, which…
New planning tool aims to boost success of surgical quality improvement projects
Editor's Note A newly developed framework could significantly strengthen the planning phase of small-scale surgical quality improvement (QI) projects, which often falter due to inadequate preparation, MedicalXpress October 16 reports. According to a report from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), published in the Journal of the American College of…
Save the date: OR Manager Conference celebrates leadership, innovation, community
Editor's Note What a week it was! The 2025 OR Manager Conference just wrapped up at the Anaheim Convention Center, and perioperative leaders are already talking about what is next. Mark your calendars—the 2026 OR Manager Conference is heading to Savannah, Georgia, at the Savannah Convention Center on October 5–7,…
Afternoon keynote: Reclaiming Balance, Joy, and Purpose in Your Career
Editor's Note Burnout does not begin with exhaustion, but with misalignment, said burn and critical care surgeon Neha Amin, DO, FACS, NBC-HWC, founder of Balance and Breakthrough and Renewal Wound Care Centers based outside Atlanta, during her personal and pragmatic keynote. According to Dr Amin, burnout follows a clear trajectory—from…
Session: Bridge the gap—Finding a common mission between the OR and SPD
Editor's Note Rebuilding trust and redefining teamwork between the OR and sterile processing department (SPD) turned a near-failure into a high-functioning system at UCLA Health, according to Ronald Perez, JD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CNOR, executive director of perioperative services, and Jasmine Briones, MSN, RN, CNOR, director of perioperative services. What…
Session: Overcoming imposter syndrome to master performance conversations
Editor's Note Even the most experienced nurses sometimes wonder, “Am I good enough?” That is how Laurie Burns MSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA, CIRT, clinical nurse educator, operating room; Aliaunda Macon, BSN, RN, staff nurse; and Simone Nicholson, DNP, MSN, RN, CNOR, nurse manager main operating room at Main Line Health…
Free Daily News
- Quality Improvement: Reduce Specimen Labeling Errors
- Staffing Strategy: Grow Your Middle Management
- Olympus issues voluntary labeling update for bronchoscopes used with laser therapy equipment
- NorthStar Anesthesia scales ASC partnerships in Georgia with transparent, clinician-driven model
- Targeted intraoperative radiation slashes pancreatic cancer recurrence to 5%
- Ambient AI reshapes nursing workflows and boosts patient interaction
- Session: Developing a complex spine and total joint service line program in the ASC
- Session: The importance of having a comprehensive plan to prevent workplace violence in ASCs
- Session: Automate to elevate—Streamlining pre-, postoperative processes for better outcomes in ASCs
- Transparent oversight is key to safe surgical innovation