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...
View ArticleProcess improvements raise SPD standards and quality
When audits revealed areas of deficit in the sterile processing departments (SPDs) of the Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, leaders pulled together a team to help implement a quality...
View ArticleCreativity holds keys to competency assessment
How can leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) ensure they have a competent staff? First, they must hire staff with the right skill sets, and then they should implement meaningful methods for...
View ArticleHigh competency levels promote ASC staff and patient satisfaction
Leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) know a competent staff is essential for optimal patient outcomes and financial well-being, but competing pressures sometimes relegate competency assessment...
View ArticleImplementing a coaching program for practicing surgeons
While performance feedback and assessment are hallmarks of surgical training, they abruptly cease after training is completed. In their absence, performance may stagnate and poor habits persist. Our...
View ArticleSurvey: OR staff low in volume, experience, engagement—Part 1
OR managers might yearn for a past when a well-staffed team of experienced RNs and surgical technologists were committed heart and soul to their jobs, but it’s clear that idyllic time is gone, if...
View ArticleStudy: Nursing skill mix linked to mortality, quality
For the RN4CAST Consortium 2Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK 4University of Leuven, Leuven Institute for Healthcare Policy, Leuven, Belgium 5Department of...
View Article12-week program prepares new nurses for the OR
If you told OR leaders they could onboard a nurse without previous surgical experience in just 12 weeks, most would scoff, “Impossible!” But at Sutter Health University, the impossible has become not...
View ArticlePeer review inspires high performance from providers
Peer review is a hot topic in the quality arena as many ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) strive to create meaningful and sustainable evaluation of their providers. “As a surveyor, I can tell you peer...
View ArticleJust culture creates a safe, positive environment
Just culture has become a bit of a buzzword, so it’s worth revisiting what the term truly means and how it can be implemented and sustained. Although it’s a powerful tool for improving patient safety,...
View ArticleNew OR nurses excel as champions and preceptors
Tapping incoming or newly graduated OR nurses as champions and preceptors for initiatives works quite well, say some OR leaders. Though less experienced than their peers, these nurses bring to the...
View ArticleStudy identifies gaps in infection prevention practices at critical access...
Editor’s Note Small, rural critical access hospitals have significant gaps in their infection prevention practices, finds this new study presented June 13 at the Annual Conference of the Association of...
View ArticleThree key competencies forecast success for OR leaders
Employee engagement is a buzzword that often crops up in articles, webinars, and conferences. OR leaders may be tired of seeing it, but engagement is crucial for success in an environment of fast-paced...
View ArticleEffect of Foley catheter placement by medical students on postop CAUTIs
Editor’s Note Patients who have Foley catheters placed by medical students in the OR are at increased risk of postoperative catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), this study finds. This...
View ArticleCreating standardized process for training new surgeons in robotic surgery
Editor’s Note Automated performance metrics can distinguish surgeon expertise during anastomoses and create an objective, standardized way to train new surgeons, this study finds. Researchers used a...
View ArticleStudy: Bachelor’s degree nurses better prepared than associate degree nurses
Editor’s Note In this study, nurses with bachelor’s degrees were found to be significantly better prepared than nurses with associate degrees in 5 of 16 test topics between 2007 and 2008, and in 12 of...
View ArticleSoup to nuts recruitment: Finding and onboarding OR nurses–Part 3
Recruiting OR staff who will best meet culture and competency expectations is a three-pronged process that starts with a sound marketing strategy, progresses to the application and interview stage, and...
View ArticleIs your staff ready to manage malignant hyperthermia?
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare but life-threatening surgical complication that seems to turn the effects of general anesthesia upside down. Instead of relaxing, muscles become rigid, releasing...
View ArticleDevelopment of surgery-specific second victim peer support program
Editor’s Note In this study, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital, designed, implemented, and assessed the effect of the first surgery-specific peer support program in the US. The program...
View ArticleRelationship between patient falls and levels of nursing education,...
Editor’s Note Higher levels of nursing education and more certified nurses improved the number of patient falls in this study. Using data from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators from...
View Article