Editor's Note Automated performance metrics can distinguish surgeon expertise during anastomoses and create an objective, standardized way to train new surgeons, this study finds. Researchers used a data recorder plugged into a robotic surgery system to evaluate expert and novice surgeons’ movements for 70 vesicourethral anastomoses (total of 1,745 stitches)…

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Employee engagement is a buzzword that often crops up in articles, webinars, and conferences. OR leaders may be tired of seeing it, but engagement is crucial for success in an environment of fast-paced change, leadership turnover, and increasing demands for better performance. In healthcare, research has linked engagement with greater…

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Developing effective leaders for the perioperative setting is typically one of the most challenging parts of a current leader’s role. It’s tempting to quickly plug leadership holes with whoever is at hand—even if the person’s leadership aptitude or abilities are lacking. But that approach usually leads to high turnover and…

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The average age of OR nurses is over 50 years, and for the past several years, healthcare organizations have been trying to groom the next group of nurse leaders. Many have had success with perioperative nurse internships. As part of succession planning at Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio, we…

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New leaders are at a premium in the perioperative setting, a fact that has been pushing organizations to explore innovative options to fill leadership gaps. Ideally, healthcare organizations should have a comprehensive program that integrates didactic instruction with mentorship to successfully build new nurse leaders. One example is the structured…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons on May 23 announced that a partnership between the Military Health System and civilian trauma institutions is underway to create the first fully integrated military-civilian trauma system. The system will train military surgeons before deployment, help surgeons retain skills while deployed, and bring…

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Editor's Note Inadequate functional health literacy (FHL) in ambulatory surgery patients was associated with poorer postoperative recovery and a lower quality of life in this study. Of 704 patients undergoing ambulatory surgery who were surveyed, 427 (60.7%) reported sufficient FHL, 223 (31.7%) said problematic FHL, and 54 (7.7%) had inadequate…

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Editor's Note Video observation was not be as effective as evaluating live performance in promoting OR teamwork in this study. A total of 1,410 briefs were analyzed−325 live observations and 1,085 videos−and 1,398 debriefs were evaluated−166 live and 1,232 video. For briefs, there was greater compliance with live observation than…

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Editor's Note In this study from the UK, researchers found a robust relationship between a surgeon’s daily OR schedule and surgical performance (indexed by duration of procedure). The researchers say surgeons should reorder their OR schedule, starting their days with the simpler cases and building up to the more difficult…

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Editor's Note Enhanced patient satisfaction scores were seen in patients who received supplemental web-based education before having outpatient orthopedic surgical procedures in this study presented March 7 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting. A total of 177 patients were randomized to receive either routine education from the…

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