A look back: The business manager role in a changing healthcare environment
Takeaways โข Perioperative business managers can make significant contributions to a hospitalโs financial health, but more than half of hospitals do not have this role. โข Business managersโ earnings have increased in the past 5 years, while the number of direct reports has risen slightly. โข The bachelorโs degree has…
Battlefield to bedside: Navy, VA nurses share leadership lessons
Takeaways โข VA and Navy hospitals are subject to many of the same requirements as their civilian counterparts, including adherence to quality and infection control standards as well as regulations from organizations such as AORN. โข Rank structure plays a significant role in forming and leading OR teams at Navy…
Coordinating surgical care means precise staff handoffs
In every OR, the complicated dance of surgical care coordinationโthe series of handoffs between stakeholders throughout the surgery lifecycleโis performed mainly in the background. Those stakeholders include physician offices, schedulers, preadmission testing, insurance verification, vendors, sterile processing, supply chain, anesthesia, and surgical staff. But what does it look like when…
Supporting healthcare staff with on-demand staffing solutions
Healthcare systems worldwide, regardless of their size or market, are facing the same challenge: how to meet the growing demand for qualified staff without straining hospital budgets. According to a report by the American Hospital Association, health systems are experiencing a significant workforce turnover that began in 2016. On average,…
Disaster-zone deployments demand courage amid crisis
Nursing is not a career path for the faint of heart. However, working in places wracked by civil strife and natural catastrophes can strain the composure of the most elite in any specialty. If the OR tent lifting away in strong post-hurricane winds stateside is not bad enough, imagine having…
Managing immediate use steam sterilization
Immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS, a standard steam sterilization cycle with little to no dry time) is considered safe for patient care when the processes recommended in Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards and AORN guidelines are followed. IUSS is a valuable option in an emergency. Lack…
Editorial: Nurses prepare for tumultuous election
I was fresh out of the OR when I received a formal job offer from OR Manager. Although still hazy from an emergency laparoscopic appendectomy, I knew I would accept, reasoning the universe must be trying to tell me something. I also had no doubts about the other, very different…
Study: Hospital surfaces ridden with bacteria despite disinfection protocols
Editor's Note:ย Adherence to routine disinfection procedures may not be enough to prevent potentially harmful bacterial contamination of high-touch hospital surfaces, according to findings published January 10 in the American Journal of Infection Control. Manikins, bed rails, and workstations-on-wheels were the most contaminated surfaces. The study involved sampling and culturing…
Biorobotic heart shows promise for research, surgical training
Editor's Note:ย Surgeons successfully tested three fixes for a leaky heart valve on a biological pig heart fitted with a silicone robotic pump, HealthDay reported on January 11. According to the article, the biorobotic heart offers significant advantages over existing heart simulators. These include a longer shelf life, greater ability…
Sex differences contribute to anesthesia resistance in women
Editor's Note:ย Due to sex hormones, โthe female brain is more resistant to the hypnotic effects of volatile anesthetics,โ concludes a study published January 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. General anesthetics work in part by modulating the activity of hypothalamic circuits, which regulate sleep and…