We devised a simple method to let each other know when ORs have been turned over and are ready for the next patient. A staff member places a magnetic button embossed...

Staff members who aren’t given time to take breaks during busy shifts can quickly become dissatisfied. Ensuring each staff member as an opportunity to step away from...

Surgery can be a scary thing, especially for kids, so I tested different ways to reduce the anxiety of pediatric patients who were having their tonsils and adenoids removed at...

You may not give much thought to the disposable safety straps that hold patients in place during surgery, but what if you knew they were costing your hospital close to...

Now that many healthcare workers need to wear masks all day due to the pandemic, many complain that the elastic supports are rough on their ears, even rubbing them...

Personal mobile devices are a breeding ground for bacteria, so make sure the phones, devices and laptops used throughout your facility don’t pose infection risks....

Our surgery center hosts small infants and young adults, so we always come up with many different ways to establish trust with our patients and reassure them before...

Celebrating staff birthdays is far from a new idea, but we think we created the perfect twist to the common morale-booster. Before an upcoming birthday, several staff...

As a clinical educator, I focus on three major components of airway management competency: knowledge, skill and attitude. We've added validation and verifications of...

Anxious patients waiting in pre-op bays don't want to see their surgeons wandering around looking for who they're going to be operating on next. To eliminate that...

For cataract patients who have an aversion to IV needles or who have chronic opioid issues, an MKO melt is a wonderful alternative. The sublingual sedation, which consists...

Staff can feel disconnected from the decisionmakers who determine how facilities are run. Giving them an opportunity to have their voices heard and speak openly with...

When it became clear there was a severe shortage of COVID-19 testing kits in our area, we decided to build our own with a team of volunteers at our newly opened...

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our health system shut down three facilities to protect them from the coronavirus. When those facilities reopened for elective...

After gynecological procedures such as hysterectomies, surgeons place vaginal packing to stop excessive bleeding. But how are physicians and even patients to know that...

The battle for control of the thermostat is a common occurrence in ORs and a source of undo stress for the surgical team. We decided to give final say of the room's...

I’m known for crafting surgical caps made of bright colorful fabric and giving them to my colleagues as small gestures of how much I appreciate working with them....

Anesthesia providers are placing intubation boxes between themselves and the patients they're intubating to serve as a barrier against COVID-19-containing aerosolized...

If your ears begin to feel the pinch from wearing masks all day as you return work during the coronavirus outbreak, reach for a Barrel of Monkeys. It's one of the many...

Effectively screening patients for COVID-19 is part of pre-op protocols as outpatient facilities across the country slowly begin performing elective procedures again....