Nurses again most trusted in Gallup poll
Editor's Note An annual poll from Gallup found nurses rated the highest among professions in the US for their honesty and ethical standards for the 17th straight year. A total of 84% of respondents rated the honesty and ethical standards of nurses as โvery highโ or โhigh.โ Physicians came in…
Effect of routine preop urine screening on postop outcomes
Editor's Note Antimicrobial treatment of asymptomatic organisms identified in preoperative urine cultures was not associated with reductions in the risk for postoperative infections, including urinary tract infections (UTIs) and surgical site infections (SSIs), this study finds. In this analysis of 68,265 patients in 109 Veterans Affairs hospitals who had cardiac,…
Joint Commission launches webpage covering four high-risk areas
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 19 launched a webpage that covers four high-risk areas that surveyors evaluate. The โ4-1-1 on Survey Enhancementsโ interactive page provides resources for: Sterile medication compounding Suicide prevention High-level disinfection and sterilization Hemodialysis. The Joint Commission enhanced its evaluation of these high risk areas…
FDA: Fluoroquinolone antibiotics can increase risk of aortic ruptures
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 20 announced that fluoroquinolone antibiotics can increase the occurrence of ruptures or tears in the aorta. The FDA recommends that healthcare professionals: Avoid prescribing fluoroquinolone antibiotics to patients who have or are at risk for having an aortic aneurysm, and…
2019 Planning Committee Update
Amazing how fast the year has gone. It feels like I just finished the blog to say, โwelcome,โ and now I am taking a moment to wish you all a very happy holiday season. And now, more than ever, this blog is meant for all ambulatory surgery center leaders (whether…
Joint Commission surveys now seek evidence of performance
In the past few months, the Joint Commission has implemented a new process for accreditation surveys and changed the wording and interpretation of some standards, particularly infection control. At the 2018 OR Manager Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in September, John R. Rosing, MHA, FACHE, executive vice president and principal of…
Policy compliance essential for overlapping surgery safety
Flipping rooms, or running two ORs back to back, is common in many perioperative services departments. Certain rules of thumb can help ensure efficiency and good outcomes, but sometimes those rules either donโt exist or are unclear. Does your facility have guidelines for overlapping surgery, and do your surgical teams…
Editorial
A greater focus on cost cutting and improving quality of care, a rise in outpatient procedures, and increased demand for cost and quality transparency were among the major healthcare trends projected for 2018. Itโs safe to say these will continue to dominate in 2019 and beyond. A year ago, all…
How should you manage patients using marijuana?
What is the current state of marijuana research? Russell: Marijuana research is unlike any other drug research. Researchers have to jump through a lot of hoops with the federal government to study it. As a result, people are using marijuana before there is enough science to prove safety and efficacy.…
New structure puts SPD staff on firmer footing
Perioperative leaders, including those in the sterile processing department (SPD), need to know when to make sweepingโnot just incrementalโchanges to improve workflow and optimize the talents of their staff. Sometimes gains in productivity and staff satisfaction depend not only on identifying process improvements but also on placing staff in areas…