Taking a hands-on approach: A day in the OR manager role
Kim Rosencrans, RN, BSN, has worked as a surgical nurse in a number of successively more senior roles over the past 20 plus yearsโand she has retained a hands-on approach, even as an OR manager in the Surgery Department at Trinity Health in North Dakota, one of the nationโs largest…
Editorial
The new year is here, and as we step into 2024, the team at OR Manager is thrilled to share a number of new initiatives. From new voices to investigative studies and success stories on both fresh and familiar topics, we are eager to continue curating the most relevant content…
Mastering surveys in 2024 by The Joint Commission and CMS
Takeaways โข The Joint Commission eliminated 56 redundant or outdated Elements of Performance, revised four others, and is using more checklists. โข The Joint Commission is emphasizing healthcare equity and identifies it as a priority to address healthcare quality and safety, calling organizations to integrate health equity into their QAPI…
Meeting the SPD staffing challenge
Takeaways โข Failure to understand the complexity of the work performed in the sterile processing department (SPD) can lead to staff shortages, errors, and significant financial loss. โข Strategies for addressing SPD staffing include effective orientation, certification, competency assessment, analyzing staffing needs, and leader visibility. โข SPD schedules should reflect…
Role of data in surgical, patient preparedness for MSK cases
An estimated 126.6 million Americans are dealing with the impact of a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, according to a US Bone and Joint Initiative report. That means, one in two adults in the US have gone or will be going through a wide range of hip, knee, shoulder, and/or spine procedures.…
Hybrid OR: Continued advancement in diagnostic, surgical care
The concept of the hybrid OR was born in the 1990s, but healthcare institutions were originally slow to adopt the model due, in part, to the initial sizable investment required. While there was a steady uptick in adoption around 2008, today there are still only some 100 hybrid ORs in…
Award winners stress collaboration, flexibility, asking for help
Emerging from the thick of the pandemic has been tough for OR managers and clinicians, between rampant healthcare industry burnout and other challenges. Yet the winners of this yearโs OR Manager leadership awards, presented at the OR Manager Conference, are proving that the right combination of hard work, empathy, and…
The issue of fake nursing diplomas in the healthcare workforce
Initially, the massive nursing credentials scamโdisclosed by federal prosecutors early last yearโinvolved three once legitimate, now-shuttered, Florida nursesโ training institutions. Some two dozen criminal operators and recruiters have been arrested and indicted; an as-of-yet unknown number face decades behind bars. According to multiple indictments, most for wire fraud, the scammers…
OR Manager Conference third place poster winner showcases impactful program from 2023
From highlighting the need for better preoperative nasal decolonialization to touting the success of personalized pediatric behavioral health interventions, the posters on display at the 2023 OR Manager Conference highlighted the exceptional work of clinicians in 2023. Poster: โUse of Alcohol-Based Nasal Antiseptic in Reducing Surgical Site Infections in Patients…
AI tool determines postoperative mortality risk
Editor's Note A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai could help doctors better understand which patients are at greatest risk of dying following surgery, according to a December 15 report in Newswise. Based on findings originally published in the Lancet Digital…