Editor's Note Aligning with a recent executive order promoting safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking input on what providers and others are doing with the technology. Issued September 9, the Request for Information (RFI) invites healthcare…

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For many in the healthcare industry, imagining surgery without onsite sterile processing seems unthinkable. Then again, performing total joints in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) was unthinkable 10 years ago. ASC sterile processing departments (SPDs) are generally not designed to handle the high volumes of instrument trays, vendor trays, and…

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Editor's Note A study published August 6 in the journal Surgery highlights the impact of structured debriefing tools on improving communication and patient safety in the OR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted over three years, the study implemented a new electronic health record (EHR) module to document surgical debriefings and…

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Editor's Note The 2024 OR Manager Conference Poster Gallery provides a forum for presenting completed research, in progress initiatives with preliminary results, or a new approach to a concept to solve a problem related to perioperative leadership. We strive to promote communication and collaborative research among nurses, provide a setting…

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Reforming instrument reprocessing practices does not always end with the main sterile processing department (SPD). Holding clinics to the same standard adds to the challenge, whether they are associated with hospitals or operate independently. Nonetheless, standardization is just as essential to maintaining efficiency and quality standards. Whether a clinic is…

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Editor's Note Designing ORs with a focus on patient flow, room organization, and the needs of surgical teams can reduce burnout while improving workplace positivity and patient outcomes. That’s according to an April 9 report from Mayo Clinic, where researchers recently integrated 3D space capture technology with traditional focus groups…

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Editor's Note Evidence-informed and specialty-specific models of nursing assessment and ward redesign can benefit hospital safety, according to a study published January 27 in the International Journal of Nursing Studies. Called the ENCORE (evidence-based nursing core assessment) trial, the large-scale study led by Queensland University of Technology included 29,385 patient…

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Editor's Note Large healthcare systems considering a centralized Value Analysis Committee (VAC) model potentially have much to learn from a 10-hospital organization operating in the Washington, DC and Maryland region. MedStar Health System’s still-ongoing transition from multiple, facility-based improvement committees is the subject of one of the first posters to…

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The US Food and Drug Administration receives more than 100,000 medication-related reports, and some of them, according to the AORN Journal, “involve patient death.” AORN’s 2024 updated guidelines include safety updates for perioperative staff when handling, transporting, and administering medication, which can be a complex process prone to errors. In…

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Editor's Note Though the processes of care for emergency coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, patient mortality did not change for COVID-19-negative patients; however, COVID-19 positive patients did have significantly higher mortality as well as infectious complications, finds this study presented May 6 at…

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