Have you taken steps to avoid the abuse of IUSS?
I have heard the following statement from OR personnel: “We use rigid sterilization containers and run a 270-275ºF (132-135ºC) prevacuum steam sterilization process in our OR. So we no longer use IUSS.” Is that an IUSS cycle? IUSS, or immediate-use steam sterilization, was formerly known as flash sterilization. This article…
ASCs jump on the surgical checklist bandwagon
Since the early days of aviation, pilots have used checklists before, during, and after each flight. Cooks follow recipes. Builders don’t build without team meetings and signoffs at every step. Health care professionals, however, only recently began to adopt checklists. Often, the excuse has been that medicine is an art,…
Safer surgery: Is your scheduling process as accurate is it could be?
Ten elements of safer surgery. Second in a series. Much of the effort to ensure correct-site surgery focuses on preoperative verification. But scheduling is where it all begins. Capturing complete and accurate information when the case is booked is key to preventing errors down the line. Scheduling flaws are…
'Destination surgery': Metrics drive patients to centers with better care
Perioperative managers and staffs are collecting data on a growing list of metrics on surgical quality—antibiotic prophylaxis, venous thromboembolism prevention, normothermia, and more. Now these and other metrics are coming into play as big companies like Walmart, Lowe’s, and Pepsico seek the best value for their insured employees, especially those…
Editorial
Do you know who your competitors for surgical volume are going to be? It may not be the hospital or surgery center down the street or even across town. Your competitor could be in the next state or even across the country, at least for some types of surgery. Big…
Surgical 'never events' pegged at 4,000 a year
Surgeons in the US leave a surgical item such as a sponge or a towel in a patient 39 times a week, perform a wrong procedure 20 times a week, and operate on the wrong body site 20 times a week, a new study estimates. The analysis is thought to…
An electronic path for streamlining scheduling
An electronic form surgeons’ offices use to place scheduling orders has streamlined the preoperative process and sharply reduced case cancellations for a Chicago-area hospital. Cancellations are down from about 12% to less than 1% of cases since the scheduling form was introduced in early 2012. The offices took to the…
A plan for avoiding readmissions after surgery
A Medicaid patient is admitted to the hospital for repair of an enterocutaneous fistula. He’s considered a high risk for readmission after surgery because he doesn’t have a working refrigerator or telephone. That means he won’t be able to keep fresh food on hand or call his physician if he…
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Career Center
- Director of Nursing, Behavioral Health - Signet Health Corporation - Coos Bay, OR
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