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Features
Inspiring Change
It’s possible to make great strides in increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in surgery without the benefit of a national platform, whether it’s returning to the OR after a tragic accident, deciding to take on inequities in patient...
Microsurgical Instruments Demand Maximum Attention
The attention to detail that’s required to properly care for the tools of surgery takes on even greater importance when microsurgical instrumentation is involved. Proper care and regular maintenance extend...
How Are You Managing Post-op Pain?
Outpatient surgeries blossomed when providers figured out that inpatient stays followed by extended bed rest weren’t always necessary, or even good for their patients. Many patients were better off recovering...
Wired ORs Are Works of Wonder
AdventHealth Tampa in Florida has made significant investments in cutting-edge care by constructing The Taneja Center for Surgery, a $300M marvel that opened its doors in October 2021 and features 18 fully integrated ORs....
Surviving Accreditation Surveys
When Robert Bray, MD, learned that DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif., achieved accreditation for the fifth consecutive year, he was already looking forward to the next one. The neurosurgeon...
The Gold Standard of Smoke-Free Surgery
The Gold Standard of Smoke-Free Surgery; When a nurse had an asthma attack following a plume-generating surgery, our perioperative team sprang into action.
High-Tech Help for Optimizing Total Knee Outcomes
Hundreds of thousands of patients undergo total knee replacements in the U.S. every year, with increasing numbers of the procedures performed in outpatient facilities. Thanks to rapid technological advancements...
Implementing Safe and Effective Patient Warming
The sweet spot for an adult’s core body temperature throughout the perioperative experience is 36.5°C to 37.5°C, but maintaining this safe temperature range can be a challenge — and a safety concern, according to...
Planning for Success in Total Shoulders
Demand for outpatient shoulder replacements is increasing as we continue to see improvements in surgical techniques and multimodal pain management strategies that shorten the length of stay for patients....
Keep Your OR Free of Slipping and Tripping Hazards
It’s common to back-burner an issue that you know needs addressing when a repeat occurrence has not happened for a while. But after a handful of slips, trips and falls incidents last year at our busy community hospital,...
Can You Pass This Infection Prevention Quiz?
Test your staff’s knowledge on instrument cleaning, sharps safety, wound care and other ways to keep patients and staff safe.
At Your Service
You cannot run a successful surgery center if your surgical instruments are dull, damaged or in desperate need of replacement. I work at an extremely busy orthopedic ASC with eight operating rooms that are full...
Ideas That Work
Ideas That Work: Symbols of Hope and Remembrance
It’s hard to believe that more than two years have passed since healthcare facilities started caring for COVID-19 patients. To remember the triumphs and loss, ChristianaCare’s Center for WorkLife Wellbeing created...
Ideas That Work: Pronoun 'Preferences' Aren’t Really a Thing
The movement for diversity, equity and inclusion in surgery is particularly vital for the wide variety of patients who visit facilities for care. No matter who a patient may be, or what their background is, they should feel accepted,...
Ideas That Work: Leave Your Mark on Inventory Management
Does your staff often feel overwhelmed when a big shipment of supplies is dropped off at your facility? All the boxes look the same, making it difficult to determine which shipments have been processed. “In our receiving room,...
Ideas That Work: Let a Gratitude Tree Take Root
David Taylor III, MSN, RN, CNOR, a healthcare executive consultant with the Resolute Advisory Group, worked with staff at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center in San Francisco to design a Gratitude Tree wall mural....
Ideas That Work: A Colorful Way to Celebrate New Arrivals
When Melissa Arnold, MD, was on maternity leave from Saltzer Health’s North Nampa clinic in Idaho, her colleagues wanted to do something special (and different) to welcome her back. “She had a girl, so we dyed...
Departments
Editor's Page: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Last month marked two years since George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest on a Minneapolis street. After his death, the nation confronted systemic racism and continued to...
Staffing: Staying Current With Social Media
The first perception that comes to mind when one thinks of social media on the job, especially when it’s a fast-paced, high-stakes surgical environment, is people slacking off by glancing at their phones when they should be...
Safety: Focus on the Fundamentals
I have been a surgical nurse for more than 30 years and a patient numerous times. I’m fully aware, from both sides of the table, of the importance of safe surgical care. There are numerous factors that go into protecting...
Anesthesia Alert: Make Post-op Delirium Prevention a Priority
If you asked your colleagues to define postoperative delirium and the symptoms to look out for, do you think they could answer you with confidence? Believe it or not, the condition is widely misdiagnosed because its symptoms...
Product News: June 2022
Nutritional drink manufacturer Boost and sweet treat maker Cinnabon have collaborated to introduce a cinnamon roll flavored supplement. The bakery-inspired drink — which is made of the same high-quality...
Behind Closed Doors: The Ultimate Summer Surgery Playlist
The sound of the OR during surgery is truly something to behold. No, I’m not talking about the whirring of drills, the sloshing of fluids or the teeth of perioperative nursing staff shivering their way through another long...