Innovation: The path to superior OR teamwork and results
Healthcare lags behind other industries when it comes to innovation. That’s partly because new treatments must be vetted for safety and efficacy, and partly because fee-for-service reimbursement sparked little incentive for creativity and efficiency. Under value-based purchasing, OR leaders have more opportunity to be innovative, but first they must understand…
Study: Great teams think alike
Editor's Note Greater sharing of team mental models (ie, shared understanding of team members) leads to better team performance, this study finds. The study also found that team mental models predicted team performance over time. The study involved 30 interns participating in a simulation training program. The findings suggest that…
Interplay between surgeon, anesthesiologist affects productivity
Editor's Note Assigning certain anesthesiologists to specific surgeons affected team performance and turnaround time in this study. Researchers assessed the relationship between turnaround times and assignment of anesthesiologists to surgeons using a Monte Carlo simulation. They constructed managerial decision tables for the assignments, and defined a decision algorithm based on…
Performance improvement teams can move the needle from 'good' to 'great'
Performance improvement teams (PITs) have helped many businesses resolve workflow or other obstacles impeding efficiency. For perioperative services, PITs consist of a multidisciplinary group of frontline personnel associated with a defined process. PITs often have a key facilitator and are sponsored by leadership. Missions and goals are created, progress is…
Association between OR teamwork and checklist performance
Editor's Note Surgeon buy-in and OR teamwork characterized by shared clinical leadership, open communication, active coordination, and mutual respect related positively to case-related conversation prompts, but not to completing procedural checks, this study finds. A total of 207 procedures in 10 South Carolina hospitals were included in the study. The…
MedStar Health standardizes communication about adverse events
Editor's Note Using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s online toolkit, Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR), Maryland-based MedStar Health has set up a standardized program for physicians to communicate with patients and family members about adverse events, according to the August 22 Kaiser Health News. A team of physicians,…
Benefits of professionalism training for surgical residents
Editor's Note Professionalism education improved surgical resident understanding, awareness, and practice of professionalism in a significant manner in this study. A year-long professionalism curriculum was developed at New York University School of Medicine, New York City, which focused on challenges such as: admitting mistakes effective communication with colleagues at all…
Web-based handoff tool reduces medical-surgical errors
Editor's Note Hospitals can avoid medical-surgical patient handoff errors by using a web-based handoff tool to improve communication among physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers, this study finds. Of 5,407 patients included in the study, 77 errors were detected before implementation of the handoff tool versus 45 after implementation. Brigham…
Nontechnical skills also matter in surgical patient safety
Editor's Note Technical and nontechnical skills are both important to successfully and safely perform surgical procedures, according to recommendations presented August 5 at the National Surgical Patient Safety Summit in Rosemont, Illinois. Among the recommendations were that the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses, and support staff ensure consistent use of surgical safety…
Targeted communication training raises hospital safety culture scores
Implementation of crew resource management training at a large academic medical center led to statistically significant improvements in 10 out of 12 dimensions of safety culture, according to surveys conducted before and after training took place. Crew resource management (CRM) is a systematic approach adapted from the airline industry to…
Free Daily News
- Study: Weight-loss drug semaglutide boosts repeat surgery risk
- Long-lasting heart valves poised to set world record
- Study: Thrombectomy beneficial in high-risk acute stroke patients with large infarct
- Majority of American adults have CKM syndrome, at risk for heart disease
- FDA announces class 1 recalls for heart devices, ventilators
- Carbon-conscious health systems phase out desflurane anesthesia gas to reduce emissions
- Joint Commission releases annual Sentinel Event Data Report
- Study: Surgical team diversity improves patient outcomes
- Colorectal cancer rates declining in older adults, rising among children, teens
- Industry leaders share main growth opportunities for ASCs