Move Well: Teaching OR staff to avoid musculoskeletal injuries
Nurses have the highest incidence of work-related musculoskeletal injuries in the US, and OR nurses have the highest incidence among all nursing specialties. Estimates in the literature say more than 50% report chronic back pain, and 10% must leave their profession entirely because of back injuries. It is also estimated…
Impact of supply chain crisis on surgical services
What happens when global supply chainsโwhich are already typically operated lean across the boardโare hit with a once-in-a-century pandemic? An ongoing, collective lesson in economics.ย The problem is not hard to understand: COVID-19 shutdowns brought manufacturing to a near standstill, during which time the demand for goods increased, and now there…
Select demographics of nationwide sample of OR nurses
In the March 2022 issue of OR Manager, the Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) presented and analyzed the current sources of data that have historically made up a demographic representation of the perioperative nursing workforce. Our article also spoke to the issue of the lack of coordination among the groups…
VA recommends increasing its number of ASCs
Editor's Note On March 14, the Biden administration released a recommendation via the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to restructure the VA healthcare system. OR Manager reported on the potential impact the recommended changes would have on VA services, which include older hospitals with unused inpatient beds being replaced…
Establishing service lines in ambulatory surgery centers
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare industry could fill an entire academic curriculum at this point, let alone a single article. But one potential silver lining among the storms of bad news is the increasing migration of elective procedures from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Although…
WHO: Takeaways on how 19 countries maintained health services during COVID-19
Editor's Note A December 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) report examines how 19 countries mitigated COVID-19โs effects on providing maternal; newborn; child and adolescent; and aging health services, JAMA Network March 15 reports. The WHO data comes from an initiative lasting from May 2020 to February 2021, during which groups…
Key items for cardiovascular, peripheral vascular service lines
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are ramping up cardiovascular and peripheral vascular service lines, as Medicare offers payment for a growing number of cardiac procedures and accrediting bodies offer support for this methodology. In 2021, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reported that the number of ASCs billing Medicare for cardiology procedures…
NIH begins clinical trial of three mRNA vaccines for HIV
Editor's Note According to a March 14 news release from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIHโs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) launched a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating three experimental HIV vaccines using the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The mRNA technology being tested is the same…
A systemic approach to cardiac service line safety
Among Surgical Care Affiliatesโ (SCA) 260-plus facilities in the US, at least 10% have added cardiovascular/peripheral vascular service capabilities. SCA experts anticipate more growth in this area. However, any successful launch starts with an organizational focus on patient safety, says Ezra Erb, vice president for clinical quality at SCA, which…
AORN guideline open for public comment
Editor's Note The AORN Guideline for Medical Device and Product Evaluation is now open for public comment. The public comment period will close on April 1.ย This guideline, according to the AORN website, โprovides guidance to perioperative team members for developing and implementing a process to evaluate US Food and…