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Effective Operating Room Inventory Management
About this Course
The operating room has traditionally been one of the highest revenue generators for healthcare organizations. As reimbursement has declined, so have the profits for surgery. This has caused healthcare organizations to more closely examine the potential to improve their bottom line by improved supply management in the operating room. Traditionally, this area has “flown under the radar screen” because hospital leadership is reluctant to challenge surgeon and staff practices. Given the need to become more financially solvent and operationally efficient, healthcare organizations are now looking at supplies in the operating room as a potential area where new savings could be generated. The operating room represents 40-60% of total hospital supply expenditures, but improving supply management in the operating room has long been a challenge. Poor inventory management, physician preferences, lack of good data, lack of standardization, and inefficient practices all contribute to a system that is costly and ineffective.
This continuing education activity will provide the perioperative nurse with information on ways to improve inventory management in the operating room. It will review the challenges and opportunities associated with effective supply management, and provide specific strategies on product standardization, inventory management and reduction, reduction of waste, data analysis, and improved physician preference card management. Finally, participants will leave with a better understanding of current technology that can facilitate improved supply management in the operating room.
Learning Objectives
- Define sterility assurance as it relates to the various sterilization processes and sterile packaging.
- Identify key criteria for appropriate selection and use of packaging materials.
- Discuss guidelines provided by various professional associations regarding best practices related to packaging items for sterilization.
- Differentiate the types of sterilization wraps.
- Describe wrapping methods when packaging items for sterilization.
Describe troubleshooting techniques to avoid and resolve wet packs.
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