Tracking orientation, competencies, and skillsets in the OR—Military style
GENERAL Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Department of Defense or the US Government. Developing OR nurses for the future is a goal of all OR managers. Orientation programs can vary depending on the…
Hospitals, ORs fear ransomware fallout from Ukraine invasion
Hospitals and health systems know they are attractive targets for cybercriminals. When lives are at stake, and the victims are often insured, ransomware gangs can expect a quick and easy payout. But since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, hospitals have had to face a new reality: The…
Creative recycling: blue wrap, bottle caps, thinking outside the box
There is more than one way to skin a blue wrapโand transform its utility. Faced with overwhelming amounts of waste, teams in operating rooms are finding creative solutions, taking discarded medical supplies and repurposing them into bed pans, COVID masks, or in some cases, works of art. For many health…
Innovation Spot: Leveraging technology to address gaps in staffing
Is technology part of the answer for nursing staff woes? As COVID-19 patients continue to fill hospital beds, caregivers are feeling exhausted, burned out, and unappreciated. OR nurses have been especially hit hard, as shifts in surgeries and overflowing patient wards stretch OR nurses beyond their limits and comfort zones.…
Crash cart management best practices for ASCs
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are one of the fastest-growing and highest-margin segments of the healthcare industry. As ASCs continue to expand, facilities need to enhance their workflow processes and procedures to help divert staff more toward actual patient care. Crash cart management is an aspect for ASCs where time and…
Report: Number of COVID-19-related deaths may be 3x higher globally
Editor's Note According to an โestimate of excess mortalityโ by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, โmore than 3 timesโ the known number of people who have succumbed to COVID-19 โmay have died around the world due to direct and indirect effectsโ of the…
Major jump in corporation-owned physician practices since pre-pandemic
Editor's Note A report published by Avalere, titled โCOVID-19โs Impact on Acquisitions of Physician Practices and Physician Employment 2019-2021,โ revealed that the overall number of corporate-owned physician practices has grown by 84% since 2019, Beckerโs ASC Review April 21 reports. What this suggests, Beckerโs noted, is an acceleration of corporate-driven…
Study: Moral distress experienced by nurses on frontlines of COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note In this study, nurse researchers from DePaul University in Chicago document the emotions of 100 nurses throughout the US who cared for patients during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the findings: Nurses described many forms of frustration while providing patient care, such as frustration with healthcare…
The Joint Commission, AHA launch Comprehensive Heart Attack Center certification program
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association, on April 20, announced the launch of a Comprehensive Heart Attack Center certification program, which recognizes hospitals providing care to the most complex and critically ill patients. To be certified, hospitals must provide 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week on-site coverage for primary percutaneous…
Rates of COVID-19 infection in unvaccinated adults with prior COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the University of Chicago finds that unvaccinated adults with prior COVID-19 infection had an 85% lower risk of acquiring COVID-19 again than unvaccinated adults without prior COVID-19. The researchers analyzed data from patients tested for COVID-19 at 1,300 sites of care in 6 western states…