Don't let depression derail your staff's morale and motivation
Depression affects 9% of adults in the US and 18% of hospital-employed nurses, including those who work in perioperative settings. Nurses with depression not only suffer themselves, but their illness can impact their productivity and quality of care as well as their coworkers’ work lives. Nurse managers need to be…
'Territorial games' aim to help curb disruptive behavior in the OR
The OR environment plays host to a perfect storm of high stakes, time constraints, and egos. As a surgical services director, you’ve likely seen your share of disruptive behavior, and your hospital probably has a zero tolerance policy for transgressions like throwing a surgical instrument across the room during surgery,…
Practicing a personal time-out can help to engage you and your team
Among the tools and procedures intended to increase efficiencies and reduce errors in the OR are time-outs and checklists, which have become a standard practice during many surgical procedures. Vicki Hess, MS, RN, CSP, believes these same tools can be used to promote engagement and decrease stress among those working…
'Second victim' rapid-response team helps fellow clinicians recover from trauma
One Friday evening at University of Missouri Health System (MUHS) in Columbia, Missouri, Tony*, an RN with more than 17 years of critical care nursing experience, had a patient die unexpectedly during a routine procedure requiring moderate sedation. That weekend he was emotionally distressed, reliving the event and second-guessing his…
Editorial
When you read the disturbing reports linking nurses’ stress, burnout, and workload to worse patient outcomes, you wonder why staff and patient safety aren't addressed together. In just one example, a study found a high rate of nurse burnout was related with higher rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infection and…
Editorial
A high rate of nurse burnout is linked to higher rates of catheter-related urinary tract infection (UTI) and surgical site infection (SSI), a new study in the American Journal of Infection Control finds. How can that be? How could burnout be linked to SSIs? The lead author, Jeannie Cimiotti, DNSc,…
Joint Commission targets fatigue from clinicians' extended hours
In a new alert, the Joint Commission adds its voice to calls to curb fatigue from extended work days and work hours. The alert highlights evidence linking fatigue to adverse events and outlines actions organizations can take to mitigate fatigue, especially among nurses and physicians. The commission says the alert…
A call to self-care, reflection, and renewal
"When was the last time you relived a favorite bedtime routine from your past? Do you remember the special feeling and aroma of a warm bath, clean pajamas, and freshly laundered sheets with a relaxing bedtime story and a cup of warm milk or bedtime tea?" This is one tip…
Laryngospasms to sing at conference
Working in the OR can be intense and stressful. Music and humor are proven antidotes. A group of nurse anesthetists discovered that when they sang "Breakin' Up is Hard to Do" at a Christmas party at the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia in 1990. One of the students came up and…
Managers look at call innovations to help staff with work-life balance
As surgical services leaders think about attracting and keeping a new generation of staff, work-life balance is coming into sharper focus. In surgical services, work-life balance tends to center on call. Staff need to be available 24/7 for emergencies. Yet younger staff are not as likely to accept call as…
Free Daily News
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