Creating a powerful partnership between the OR and the SPD
Perhaps no other departments in a hospital work as closely together as the OR and the sterile processing department, yet friction isn’t uncommon as both areas strive to meet service demands. Although the relationship between the two is unlikely to ever be free of tension, leaders of both departments increasingly…
Are guidelines needed for cell phones in the OR?
Editor's Note There are no federal regulations or quality measures that address cell phone use in the OR, but some say the time for clear-cut guidelines has come. They cite errors and lax safety procedures that have resulted from physicians and nurses distracted by cell phone use. But others point…
The Impact of Operating Room Distractions on Stress, Workload, and Teamwork
Our Take Distractions in the OR are associated with higher mental workload and stress and poorer teamwork among OR personnel, a study finds. The most prevalent distractions were those from external staff, followed by case-irrelevant conversations. Case-irrelevant conversations initiated by surgeons were associated with lower teamwork in surgeons and anesthesiologists. Equipment-related…
Cost data comparisons help sway surgeons to standardize supplies
As payment models move from fee-for-service to value-based care, hospitals and healthcare systems are trying to reduce spending by 20% to 30% to maintain their budgets. Supply costs are usually the second largest expense after labor, and industry analysts predict they will take the top slot by 2020. In 2013,…
SCOREing patient safety with a proactive approach
Avoiding preventable harm in the OR is the goal of any surgical services department, and meeting that goal requires excellent communication and collaboration among staff members. At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the Safe Care in the OR Everytime (SCORE) project has raised awareness about safety and engaged front-line…
Checklists help staff keep cool in the heat of an OR crisis
An emergency situation in the OR can rattle even the most experienced surgeons, anesthesiologists, and staff. To help reduce anxiety and prompt a more effective response to emergencies, clinicians increasingly are turning to cognitive aids. These cognitive aids, routinely used for years in aviation and other high-hazard industries, are an…
Better communication and teamwork improve sterile processing efficiency
Relations between the OR and the sterile processing department (SPD) are not always smooth. OR staff need timely, accurate instrument trays that meet the highest standards of safety. Anything short of 100% performance leads to complaints about the SPD. But many OR staff members do not appreciate the challenges faced…
Communication, collaboration, commitment are cornerstones of high reliability healthcare
Providing dependably excellent care for all patients all of the time is the essence of high reliability healthcare, as defined by the Joint Commission in its 2013 report. Two large health systems—Kaiser Permanente and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital—are on the path to becoming highly reliable organizations. In recent years, improved processes…
EASE app updates families on patients' progress during surgery
As the anesthesiologist places the mask on the little girl’s face, the circulating nurse snaps a photograph and sends it to her parents’ cell phone with a caption saying, “she is safely off to sleep.” The nurse continues to send photographs and videos of the girl’s heart procedure along with…
Wise use of social media can enhance your professional career
Privacy violations, work distractions, wasting time—with all these risks, who needs social media? You do. Social media is key for OR leaders to successfully manage their professional lives. Savvy leaders accept that social media is a two-sided coin. “The reality is that every post, Tweet, and text is filled with…
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