Great ideas for your OR

At my former hospital, a patient expressed concern about sticker residue on the outside of the plastic binder that held their paper chart and wondered aloud about the overall cleanliness of the facility. A nurse quickly attempted...

I love to color, and have taken up the hobby to relieve stress. I'm also a tactile and kinesthetic learner — someone who needs movement and hands-on training while learning. Research shows coloring reduces anxiety...

If you're running a successful outpatient total joint program and want to increase case volumes, the future is bright. Last year, CMS began paying for total knees performed in...

During appointments in our eye clinic, staff document the music preferences of patients in their charts. On the day of surgery, pre-op nurses refer to the charts — or ask patients about their favorite artists and songs...

Last December, I was part of a committee at AORN that organized a food drive to benefit low-income families in Southwest Denver. We partnered with the principal of a local middle school, who recorded...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder affecting approximately one in four adults. It's also often undiagnosed — 90% of people with OSA don't know they have it — and undertreated. Failure to appropriately...

As a child, I remember watching a newscast of Dr. Ben Carson operating to separate conjoined twins. The 1987 procedure garnered international attention and made Dr. Carson famous. I'll never forget how I felt...

Our group of anesthesia providers came up with a patient care delivery model that involves MDs and CRNAs playing important roles in its overall success. The Collaborative Anesthesiology Team (CAT) capitalizes on...

If you're considering prefilled syringes for your facility, a little perspective goes a long way. It doesn't make sense to do an apples-to-apples cost comparison of prepackaged...

WIn the midst of the pandemic, we looked for a way to safely maximize the number of staff members who could hang out together during breaks and lunch. We found portable sneeze guards on Amazon — they cost less...

We place ID and allergy bands on the ankles of cataract patients to improve our visualization of the vital information during safety time outs. Instead of pulling back covers and drapes to locate the bands on patients' wrists,...

By now you’ve probably heard about the plastic surgeon who decided to make an appearance in traffic court on Zoom … during surgery! The YouTube clip of the hearing immediately went viral. Have you seen it?...

After our state halted elective procedures last spring, returning to surgery and assuring our patients that the center functioned in the safest possible manner took a lot of planning — and no small amount of innovation...

The pandemic has caused us all to re-examine our infection prevention strategies, including those related to personal protective equipment (PPE). Staff and physicians who properly wear PPE protect themselves...

As the president of a full-service anesthesia group, my number one goal has always been to protect my staff and our patients. That priority has certainly been put to the test...

Discharge can be a confusing time for patients and their family members. The after-effects of anesthesia cause some amnesia, and the information and directives about post-op care are given when family members might be...

We created a custom handoff form that's placed on top of each patient's chart to keep staff abreast of pertinent information that's not typically part of their medical record. In addition to noting case start and stop times...

Every January, managers from the OR, anesthesia and central sterile gather to review our hospitals' policies and procedures in order to make needed changes. Because representatives from many different disciplines...

Rob Taylor, RN, BS, IP, was about halfway through his very first day on the job as the clinical director of the Constitution Surgery Center in Waterford, Conn., when he was...