Ideas That Work: Seeing Is Believing; Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Warnings

Patients’ friends or family members are often invited to bedsides in pre-op and the PACU, but don’t always have a place to sit as they offer support to their loved ones....

Sometimes you need to go old-school to get a key point across to your staff. We recently updated our periarticular injection cocktail as part of a multimodal pain...

Taping a blue line on the floor in the sterile processing department where case carts full of dirty instruments should be lined up keeps them organized and eliminates...

Here’s a neat way to boost team morale: Ask each employee to submit a fun fact about her life away from work, then list the interesting tidbits down one side of a sheet...

Looking for a more efficient way to put your OR team’s suggestions into day-to-day practice? First, make it easy for staff to share their process improvement ideas....

When it comes to keeping patients happy when their case start times are delayed, clear and consistent communication is key. That’s easier said than done. Nurses are always...

It’s not uncommon for staff members in one department to believe they do more or matter more than their colleagues who work in other areas of the facility....

Surgery can be scary for anyone, but especially so for the littlest of patients. That’s why we provide kids with crayons and surgery-specific coloring books....

Our facility’s satisfaction surveys revealed low scores and negative comments in reference to the quality of our communication with patients and their family...

Kids driving themselves to the OR in motorized cars isn’t new, but creating a road for them to follow and letting them dress up as superheroes on the way...

One of our staff members noticed that we're always touching our ID badges, and that pre- and post-op staff touch their stethoscopes, and even the time clock to punch...

Are you sure your staff is diverting recyclable materials from white bag waste? For 2 weeks I gathered and weighed recycling bags filled during procedures,...

When several staff members came to me to praise one of their coworkers, I felt their show of support should be displayed for not only the worker to see it,...

Our surgery center doesn’t have a cafeteria, so family members who were waiting for their loved ones in surgery used to leave if they wanted a quick bite to eat. When surgeons...

The Joint Commission and the National Fire Protection Association guidelines say flammable preps must be allowed enough time to dry after application, pooled solution...

Mental health is often overlooked or not talked about because people are ashamed of sharing how they feel, or afraid of what others might think if they ask for help....

Many educators will tell you that students retain information better when learning is enjoyable and interactive. We put that idea into practice this year at our...

My recent study showed that music can be just as effective as midazolam in calming patients' nerves before they receive peripheral nerve blocks. Based on those...

We're sticklers about ensuring staff wash or sanitize their hands before and after each patient contact. We use a secret code word, "Mango," to inform forgetful or...