Every week Ann Shimek, MSN, BSN, RN, CASC, hits the road to communicate about communicating. Shimek is senior vice president of clinical operations at United Surgical Partners International (USPI) in Addison, Texas. She and her team of six clinical nurses travel among USPI’s 21 hospitals and 260 ambulatory surgery centers…

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Editor's Note Research from Spok Inc found 71% of hospitals allow physicians and nurses to use their own electronic devices at work, compared with 58% last year, the September 21 Healthcare Informatics reports. The researchers also found that: 38% of physicians favored having a hospital-issued device, and they use an…

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Perioperative staff complete a thorough orientation to ease their transition into a new job, but what about surgeons? How are they onboarded into a new OR? This isn’t an academic question—effective onboarding is key to the success, including financial success, of the OR. “To have someone walk through the door…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 13 announced a new Sentinel Event Alert that focuses on inadequate hand-offs and tips to improve them. A common problem with hand-offs is communication, which is the focus of “Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 58: Inadequate hand-off communication.” The alert includes an infographic of…

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Editor's Note This database review of malpractice lawsuits against surgical residents highlights the importance of perioperative management, particularly among junior residents, and the importance of appropriate supervision by attending physicians as targets for education on litigation prevention. During a 10-year period, 87 malpractice cases involving surgical residents were identified. Results…

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Editor's Note This survey of 800 patients identified a range of potential barriers and benefits to using mobile health technology to enhance recovery after surgery. Potential barriers included: protecting personal health information technology effectiveness and failure preference for face-to-face interaction with their surgeons level of effort required ability of older…

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Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety and respect have long been a concern among healthcare workers and professionals. Such conduct can adversely affect teamwork, clinical outcomes, and trust. In recent years, unprofessional conduct has come under increased scrutiny by the Joint Commission, American Medical Association, AORN, and other professional…

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Generational diversity issues in the workplace have never been more present or more complex. As many as six generations are now working side by side, and a great generational shift is underway. At one end of the spectrum, the workforce is aging, while at the other end, it is getting…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 28 posted a Quick Safety on daily safety briefings--a hallmark of high reliability organizations. Safety briefings--also called safety huddles, daily check-ins, or daily safety calls--are used to give keep frontline staff and leadership informed. The briefings can be used to: share issues that…

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Editor's Note Cardiac surgical team members recognize distinct critical time points during cardiac surgery, but a high degree of variability exists between members as to the importance of these times, which suggests an absence of a shared mental model, this study finds. Cardiac team members from three institutions developed a…

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