Develop standard work for successful ERAS implementation
At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System in Richmond, implementation of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) incorporates principles of Lean thinking, a management methodology that emphasizes โโฆmaximize[ing] customer value while minimizing waste. Simply, lean means creating more value for customers with fewer resources,โ according to the Lean Enterprise Institute.1 Several…
OR nurse pipeline expands through clinical immersion program
Most hospital leaders are well aware of the coming wave of nurse retirements. However, few leaders understand that this wave will likely hit the OR even earlier than other departments. According to research from NSI Nursing Solutions, surgical services nurses are on average older than other nursing professionals. Because OR…
Can your hospital survive the growing dominance of ASCs?
Of the approximately 57 million surgical procedures performed annually in the US, it is estimated that hospital inpatient procedures (overnight admissions) account for less than 20% of cases. Many procedures once performed in hospital outpatient surgery departments (HOPDs) have moved to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) over the past 15 years,…
FCOTS increase through smarter scheduling and surgeon accountability
Starting the first cases of the day on time is key for maintaining the OR schedule. A delay in first case on-time starts (FCOTS) can lead to less OR utilization, greater facility costs, and dissatisfaction among physicians, OR staff, and patients. Itโs a problem in many surgical suites, but when…
Study supports value of nurses with specialty certifications
Editor's Note In this study, specialty certification was associated with greater professional identity in ICU nurses and higher perceptions of knowledge of and value in evidence-based practices, whereas education level was not. Of 268 respondents from six hospitals and 12 adult ICUs in an integrated health system, 71% had a…
2020 designated Year of the Nurse
Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, in honor of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. WHO and its partners are leading a year-long effort to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, highlight the challenging…
Relationship between patient falls and levels of nursing education, certification
Editor's Note Higher levels of nursing education and more certified nurses improved the number of patient falls in this study. Using data from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators from 2010 to 2016 from medical centers in Central and Southern Illinois, researchers found that with every 1-unit increase in…
Gallup Poll rates nurses highest for honesty, ethics
Editor's Note For the 18th year in a row, US adults taking the Gallup Poll rated nurses highest among professionals for honesty and ethics. In the survey, 85% of respondents rated nursesโ honesty and ethical standards as โvery highโ or โhigh,โ similar to 2018. The top five also included engineers…
Spending, quality effects of Medicareโs bundled payments for lower-extremity joint replacement
Editor's Note In this study, researchers found that over a 3-year period, compared to no participation, participation in Medicareโs Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) program was associated with a 1.6% decrease in average lower extremity joint replacement spending with no changes in quality, driven by early participants. When looking…
FDA: Class I recall of Medfusion 4000 Syringe Pumps
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on December 19, 2019, identified the recall by Smiths Medical ASD, Inc of its Medfusion 4000 Syringe Pumps as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of malfunctioning low-battery alarms, which may lead to an interruption of therapy. The…