Through my decades of researching, testing and helping implement healthcare design solutions, I’ve learned an important lesson: A human-centered and evidence-based...

IV poles are critical for patient care, but these OR staples come with a major flaw: The wheels often become jammed and entangled with wires, creating a nuisance for staff...

An effective fluid waste management system is a necessity for a busy orthopedic center. After all, the specialty is famous for its messy, fluid-filled cases....

Surgical leaders often wear the infection preventionist (IP) hat for their ASC by necessity. While juggling numerous responsibilities, they do their best to put together...

No matter how prepared your center, surgeons and staff are about sharps injuries, these potentially devastating incidents still can (and probably will) occur....

My role embodies all things safety. I’m responsible for promoting safe behaviors, raising awareness about potential hazards, encouraging reporting, auditing...

Behind every needlestick or sharps injury is a story of how it came to happen. Understanding this story, through reporting and auditing of the incident...

The sterile processing department (SPD) is the heartbeat of any healthcare facility, and its ability to safely handle and sanitize instruments is key to keeping patients safe...

Achieving smoke-free ORs in the procedural setting at PIH Health Downey (Calif.) Hospital was one of the hardest practice challenges I’ve led...

For healthcare providers, the shared primary goal is clear: Keeping their patients and their team members safe and free from harm....

Establishing and maintaining a healthy work environment (HWE) is vital for the well-being of healthcare professionals and the delivery of quality patient care....

An acronym is a great way to remember something important. It can also make the process of speaking up when you are concerned about a potential safety issue...

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education Surgical Ergonomics Committee was created to address the ergonomic challenges surgeons often...

From meticulous surface disinfection policies to rigorous skin prepping protocols, surgical leaders have their hands full when it comes to making sure their facilities’...

When Benjamin M. Mauck, MD, was fatally gunned down in a Collierville, Tenn., exam room in July, allegedly by a troubled patient, the Memphis-area community lost...

There’s a significant problem in many operating rooms across the United States: Electrosurgical devices can cause significant patient burns and life-threatening fires...

At the beginning of 2021, only two U.S. states had enacted legislation mandating the use of smoke evacuation systems in every OR for every smoke-producing procedure....

Today’s anesthesia machines are a whir of respiration readings, gas flow displays and inspired oxygen feedback, but the high-tech bells and electronic whistles are more...

Most surgical nurses are aware of the harmful effects of toxic fumes caused by surgical smoke, but few know when and how to lead a smoke-free movement...

Waste management is a crucial part of any high-volume GI practice. Your staff deserves a system that is safe, efficient, portable and one-hundred percent...