Patient care improves when leaders push for a culture of safety
Many ingredients go into the recipe for patient safety, and culture is one ingredient that is often overlooked. If the perioperative culture penalizes those who call out patient safety issues and doesn’t commit to continuous quality improvement (QI), it’s likely only a matter of time before a serious error occurs.…
Editorial
Communication is an underlying theme in several articles in this issue. We examine the concept from many different angles, but a common thread is its impact on safety—for patients and providers alike. In the COVID-19 era, safety has been a chief driver of decision making. Early in 2020, elective surgical…
Leading in a crisis: Turning away from trauma toward hope
The pandemic has called on leaders to inspire their teams to achieve greatness both during a crisis and afterward. The annual OR Manager Conference will bring Cy Wakeman, MS, CSP, to the stage to help attendees find ways to turn adversity into opportunity. Wakeman, president and founder of Reality-Based Leadership,…
Regroup and recharge at OR Manager's leadership conferences
As the nation gradually resumes activities that have been restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, OR Manager looks forward to hosting two fall conferences. The OR Business Management Conference (ORBMC) takes place in San Diego, September 27-29, and the OR Manager Conference follows in Chicago, October 20-22. There has never been…
Decrease uncertainty to combat burnout, boost retention
Provider burnout in the OR has been a problem for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has brought staff morale to a low point in hospitals across the US. Many OR leaders are facing staffing shortages just as demand for elective surgery is increasing. This is a significant problem for hospitals…
Use of COVID-19 symptom incidence in HCWs to estimate hospital admissions in their communities
Editor's Note This study by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, finds that healthcare worker (HCW) reported COVID-19 symptoms can be used to estimate hospital demand in the communities where they live. This analysis includes 6,481 HCWs who worked at 1 hospital and lived within a 10-hospital service…
Incidence of COVID-19 in HCWs after single dose of the Moderna vaccine
Editor's Note This study from the VA Boston Healthcare System finds an association between receipt of Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine and a reduction in COVID-19 infections in healthcare workers (HCWs) beginning 8 days after the first dose. In this analysis of 4,028 HCWs, 3,367 were vaccinated during the study period. Of…
Study: HCQ, AZM boost survival of ventilated COVID-19 patients by 200%
Editor's Note This observational study by researchers at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, New Jersey, and the Smith Center for Infectious Diseases & Urban Health, East Orange, New Jersey, finds that the use of weight-adjusted hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM) improved the odds of survival of ventilated COVID-19 patients by…
Federal judge dismisses Houston Methodist employees’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate lawsuit
Editor's Note A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by employees of Houston Methodist who challenged the health system’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, the June 13 New York Times reports. US District Judge Lynn N. Hughes issued a ruling June 12 that upheld the hospital’s policy and noted that the…
CDC: ED visits for suicide attempts in those aged 12-17 years before, during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expands on previous work showing increases in emergency department (ED) visits for suspected suicide attempts early in the pandemic for all ages and suggests that these trends persisted for those aged 12 to 17 years.…
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