Periop Today Newsletter

A nurse’s health can be lost in the high-stress, high-stakes pace of providing surgical care. Especially in an organization without a strong culture of safety. Use our expert tips to stay safe and healthy in your workplace.

National Nurses Week (May 6th-12) is here, and it’s time to celebrate you, your colleagues and the incredible periop nursing profession!

Struggling with staff shortages and patient experience? Diverse teams mean better care and happier nurses! Watch to unlock the secrets of DEI in the OR!

Discover how one facility modeled its turnover teams after NASCAR pit crews. See how they cut turnover times and improved OR dynamics and built a collaborative process.

Explore the latest guideline updates on surgical attire. From what to wear in specific areas to keeping your gear clean. Discover key updates: team decisions on attire changes, lanyard use, and sanitizing personal electronics. A must-read for every surgical nurse aiming for top-notch infection prevention.

The largest generators of waste and emissions in healthcare are surgery and sterile processing. The very places where perioperative nurses practice and can influence change. Discover what actions periop nurses can take to decarbonize healthcare.

Being a new periop nurse can be daunting. Learn how to gain your confidence. AORN's The Stitch offers you practical tips like maintaining quick reference lists and conducting effective team huddles to ensure smooth operations and patient safety.

What do you know about the new ASC-only C codes and net payment increases? Get up to speed on the reimbursement landscape.

Unintended retained surgical items (RSIs) pose significant risks, often leading to patient harm and emotional distress for operating room teams. Despite ongoing efforts, RSIs remain a top concern in surgery. Read about their effective approaches to enhance surgical safety and minimize RSIs.

Are you reluctant to lead? The literature is showing a shift toward changes to prepare happier, healthier nurse leaders. This change might open your mind to a high-demand leadership career path.

Your knowledge of forensic specimen handling is critical to ensure that all potential sources of evidence are protected during patient care and surgical procedures. Master forensic specimen handling with this overview of what periop nurses need to know.

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare, serious condition that requires prompt response. Simulation exercises, like those at Orlando Health, help teams practice their response and communication. Explore training methods, such as drills, technology, and virtual reality, to prepare healthcare teams for MH emergencies.

Are you preparing the sterile field too early? You may be inviting invisible contamination to your sterile field. Take a closer look at timing and other common sterile technique slip-ups and explore these new solutions that publish in April.

If you or someone on your periop team are anxious about administering anesthesia AORN is here to help. Learn about patient selection, monitoring, and best practices to ensure patient safety and comfort.

Starting in 2025, all Medicare-certified ASCs must participate in the OAS CAHPS survey or face losing their Annual Payment Update. Though it may seem like a burden, this survey offers valuable benefits, including insightful patient feedback, opportunities for quality improvement, enhanced communication, and benchmarking against similar centers. Embracing OAS CAHPS can lead to better patient care and satisfaction.

The 2024 update to AORN's Manual High-Level Disinfection Guideline includes enhanced handover communication, cleaning verification testing, and drying techniques to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers. Stay current with this webinar.

Whether you're new to the OR or an experienced periop RN, it's good practice to stay current on instruments needed for specific procedures. Review instruments used in coronary artery bypass grafting, valve and aorta surgeries, and other surgeries where access to the heart is needed.

Double-gloving is made easy with the new Biogel® PI Micro Indicator® System. Offers safety, comfort, efficiency and sustainability — all in one convenient package. With two packages in one, you save space and reduce your plastic waste by 50%. Sponsored by Mölnlycke

During the 2024 AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo, Barbara Nalley, MSN, RN, NP-C, ANP-BC, CNOR, RNFA helped equip OR nurses with the awareness they need to safely care for cannabis users.

Surgical positioning can be an undervalued task for all staff. They can and do perform this task several times throughout the day and but can lapse into autopilot mode. Review this photo essay to stay fresh on this critical protocol.