The steady movement of total hip and knee arthroplasties to outpatient ORs shows no signs of slowing down thanks to advances in minimally invasive surgical...

Most cataract surgeons can remove a cloudy natural lens and implant an IOL in less than 10 minutes, so high-volume ophthalmic facilities thrive by finding ways to...

Sometimes it takes an unprecedented global event to help facilities refocus their efforts on the basic, tried-and-true protocols that fell by the wayside as pressing issues demanded immediate attention. COVID-19 was...

You’re probably aware that AORN’s evidence-based surgical attire guideline promotes cleanliness in the surgical space to protect patients and personnel from transmission...

Surgical facilities across the country are in a holding pattern as court injunctions have temporarily blocked federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates for about half of the...

There are plenty of reasons more surgeons are turning to non-traditional ways to improve their wound-closure techniques and improve the overall healing process....

The pandemic has highlighted the important work performed by surgical professionals and infection preventionists in surgery centers across the country as concerns...

The first step to ensuring your facility’s instruments are properly cleaned and sterilized is grasping the importance of the tasks and appreciating the hardworking staff...

We’re almost two years into the pandemic and by now the revamped infection prevention protocols you rushed to implement in order to keep your doors open must...

Approach greening your facility as a strong and steady tortoise would, rather than a hare sprinting out of the box. “Build a strong foundation,” says Kaeleigh Sheehan,...

Cataract surgery is usually performed quickly and typically without incident. It’s the recoveries that could prove problematic. Patients must administer a staggering number...

Katie Yarber, RN, BSN, says delivering babies at Houston Methodist Hospital during the height of last year’s COVID-19 restrictions has been the highlight of her career. “It was...

Why don’t all healthcare facilities employ some sort of surgical smoke evacuation system? Not only does surgical smoke smell and obstruct the surgeon’s view of the...

Effective sharps safety is a multifaceted endeavor. It requires a holistic approach that incorporates mindfulness, effective communication, safety-engineered devices,...

The reprocessing of flexible endoscopes involves dozens of steps that must be performed correctly every time by staff members who follow an airtight scope handling...

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who knows more about proper instrument care than Linda Gomes. The former surgical tech used to work in the sterile processing...

Victoria Hornbeck, RN, BSN, CNOR, was recently put in charge of reimagining the between-case cleaning of orthopedic operating rooms at Northside Hospital Forsyth in...

Many surgeons put very little forethought into wound care. The thought process is that when the procedure ends, the important work is done, so dealing with closing the...

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Reprocessing techs at outpatient ophthalmic facilities don’t often deal with grossly contaminated instruments, so it helps to alert them when tools are in need of extra attention before sterilization. “Enzymatic detergents...