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...

Want a simple way to make sure your staff recycles more? Make sure cans are easily accessible and visible. Knoxville (Tenn.) Orthopaedic Surgery Center utilizes recycling trash cans in its staff lounges...

After much work, communication and trial and error, the staff at Eye 35 ASC in Schertz, Texas, have fine-tuned and standardized their surgical packs to match their exact needs....

Combine the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently lowering the recommended initial colorectal screening age from 50 to 45 with the influx of newly scheduled screenings from patients who postponed their colonoscopies during the height...

At Eye 35, a busy ASC in Schertz, Texas, the staff strives to keep their patients calm and any excess paperwork to a minimum. “Some medical records such as medical history and medication reconciliation for the patient’s next surgery are held until their next visit....

Superior safety benefits and error-reduction capabilities. Significant time savings. Reduced waste. The benefits of premixed, prelabeled syringes far outweigh the minimal drawbacks, so why are there still facilities that insist on...

Keeping fluid off the floors of ORs is obviously a critical safety issue. Staff injuries from slips, trips and falls are among the top culprits causing lost workdays that often result...

Not long after we opened the doors to our small outpatient center in 2004, we experienced our first sharps injury. That was just the wake-up call we needed to ensure the event was a one-off mistake and not an unfortunate...

In the main OR at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City, surgical instruments were consistently going missing, so a multidisciplinary team sought to pinpoint the source of the issue and correct it. The result...

Do no harm guides the culture of safe patient care. At The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., the mantra also extends to protecting the environment. As part of a commitment...

If you doubt the contention that it can take years — or even decades — for evidence to trickle into clinical practice, look no further than the lack of progress in implementing...

I know from personal experience that if you drop a three-liter canister of solidified fluid waste onto an OR floor, it’s a nightmare to mop up. It’s like cleaning spilled Jell-O....

Proper medication safety requires surgical leaders to ask some very tough questions. Are employees stealing drugs for consumption or resale? Did a staffer not dilute a drug...

Kathy Beydler, RN, MBA, CNOR, CASC, has seen her fair share of slips and trips in the OR — some resulting in significant injuries and missed work time — during her time as a...

If you want your staff to make going green a part of their day-to-day mindset, the process must be as simple and as convenient as possible. Placing recycling containers within an arm’s reach of wherever they work...

Julie Moyle, RN, MSN, remembers the case well, even though it occurred more than 35 years ago. At the start of the AIDS epidemic, she was a surgical nurse at a hospital in...

Many patients at Einstein Endoscopy Center in Blue Bell, Pa., leave behind the no-slip socks they’re provided. “The socks are used only for a couple of hours, and we used to throw them away, but, at the suggestion of a patient,...

Bodily fluid overflow is common during notoriously messy joint procedures. Your staff can stem the tide by attempting to sop it up, but closed mobile collection units are...

Surgeries can be splashy, messy affairs. Floor-based fluid management mats and pads are a more effective and economical option than throwing blankets, towels or...

Last month at OR Excellence in New Orleans, attendees packed the conference’s main presentation hall for an open forum discussion about ways to improve...