Editorial
When you read the disturbing reports linking nurses’ stress, burnout, and workload to worse patient outcomes, you wonder why staff and patient safety aren't addressed together. In just one example, a study found a high rate of nurse burnout was related with higher rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infection and…
Editorial
A high rate of nurse burnout is linked to higher rates of catheter-related urinary tract infection (UTI) and surgical site infection (SSI), a new study in the American Journal of Infection Control finds. How can that be? How could burnout be linked to SSIs? The lead author, Jeannie Cimiotti, DNSc,…
Joint Commission targets fatigue from clinicians' extended hours
In a new alert, the Joint Commission adds its voice to calls to curb fatigue from extended work days and work hours. The alert highlights evidence linking fatigue to adverse events and outlines actions organizations can take to mitigate fatigue, especially among nurses and physicians. The commission says the alert…
A call to self-care, reflection, and renewal
"When was the last time you relived a favorite bedtime routine from your past? Do you remember the special feeling and aroma of a warm bath, clean pajamas, and freshly laundered sheets with a relaxing bedtime story and a cup of warm milk or bedtime tea?" This is one tip…
Laryngospasms to sing at conference
Working in the OR can be intense and stressful. Music and humor are proven antidotes. A group of nurse anesthetists discovered that when they sang "Breakin' Up is Hard to Do" at a Christmas party at the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia in 1990. One of the students came up and…
Managers look at call innovations to help staff with work-life balance
As surgical services leaders think about attracting and keeping a new generation of staff, work-life balance is coming into sharper focus. In surgical services, work-life balance tends to center on call. Staff need to be available 24/7 for emergencies. Yet younger staff are not as likely to accept call as…
What ORs can learn from the cockpit
Two surgeons and a pilot meet, interestingly, on an airplane. They begin comparing notes. They learn that the OR and the cockpit have a lot in common—both are intense, high-stakes environments. And both are vulnerable to potentially disastrous communication breakdowns. Pilot Jack Barker, PhD, (right) will lead seminar. On left…
Support for staff when things go wrong
The patient had come to the OR for joint replacement surgery. Though she had a complicated medical history, there was no reason to believe she would have serious problems. But during the surgery, things went wrong, and despite everyone's efforts, the patient died. It hit the team hard, including the…
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