OR Orientation Hybrid Program streamlines transition into practice
Half a million experienced nurses are expected to retire by 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This translates into the need for 1.1 million new nurses to replace those who are retiring...
View ArticleNew recommendations issued for instrument care and cleaning
New recommendations developed from evidence-based research have been added to AORN’s Guideline for Care and Cleaning of Surgical Instruments. Several of these changes will have an impact on the quality...
View ArticleAccess OR Manager Conference sessions by December 31
For the first time in its history, the annual OR Manager Conference was held virtually September 30 to October 2. Many things were different this year, but the robust educational content and advanced...
View ArticleAction needed now to meet future demand for nurses
Release of the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) report, Future of Nursing 2020-2030, has been delayed until spring 2021. The report is expected to address “newly emerging evidence related to the...
View ArticleHow does lifelong learning in sterile processing affect patient care?
Editor’s Note. Developing and sustaining competent sterile processing staff is critical for patient safety, yet there is a dearth of formal educational programs for this function. Whitman Partners, a...
View ArticleIlluminating infection risks in urology—A spotlight on COVID-19
Now that facilities are returning to performing urology cases, what should staff be aware of regarding COVID-19 and urology in general? This was the question Lane Jacobs, an expert in global product...
View ArticleIs a robotics program right for your ASC?
Global adoption of robotics technology has exploded in healthcare institutions, promising a less invasive and more precise means of conducting procedures. Although hospitals command the largest share...
View ArticleDiligence in implant processing will decrease infection risks
Implants are foreign bodies, and they increase the risk of a surgical site infection. Processing implants requires strict adherence to the required steps because implants have sustained contact with...
View ArticleJoint Commission conducting both virtual and onsite surveys in 2021
The Joint Commission stopped doing most onsite surveys and reviews from March 16 to May 31, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, they developed processes for conducting offsite...
View ArticleOvercoming biases in the perioperative leadership journey
For BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) leaders who are healthcare professionals, ensuring the delivery of quality care is often made more difficult by the racial or ethnic bias they may...
View ArticleFirst assistants bring expertise and efficiency to the OR table–Part 1
Non-physician surgical first assistants (FAs) perform a variety of tasks—everything from closing an incision and inserting drains to harvesting veins for bypass procedures and preparing anterior...
View ArticleCOVID-19 has detrimental effect on surgical residents’ operative experience
Editor’s Note This review study, led by researchers at the Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, Torrance, finds a significant negative effect of COVID-19 on general surgery...
View ArticleHappy National Nurses Week
Editor’s Note National Nurses Week begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The theme for this year’s Nurses Week is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead—A vision for future...
View ArticleCrisis management takes new leaders to the next level
Unexpected benefits can arise from unexpected circumstances. Relatively new nurse leaders at two different facilities have found this to be true, for different reasons. Both have faced sudden changes...
View ArticleANSI/AAMI ST79 amendments refine sterilization practices
Amendments have been added to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standard ANSI/AAMI ST79, Comprehensive Guide to Steam Sterilization and Sterility Assurance in Health...
View ArticleFirst assistants bring expertise and efficiency to the OR table–Part 2
First assistants (FAs) can play an important role in achieving optimal outcomes and higher surgical case volumes. Part 1 of this two-part series discussed types, education, and certification of FAs (OR...
View ArticleHumble giants of leadership
This series, written by OR Manager’s clinical editor, Judy Mathias, MA, RN, presents the management approaches of top leaders from around the country and describes the qualities that make them...
View ArticleThink ahead: Plan today for tomorrow’s staffing gaps
Planning ahead isn’t always intuitive in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). However, when a business manager or clinical coordinator suddenly falls ill, announces plans to retire, or quits...
View ArticleResearchers raise the alarm on splashing during reprocessing–Part 1
Does it really matter if surgical instruments are submerged in cleaning solution when technologists or nurses scrub them after a case? Is there a reason for the 3-foot separation between dirty and...
View ArticleUse of Pandemic Escape Room to increase learner engagement in infection...
Editor’s Note Escape Rooms, which were conceived as a social activity, yielded themselves as a low-cost, high-impact and effective tool for healthcare education during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study...
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