Editor's Note Substituting lower-wage staff for registered nurses leads to additional patient deaths, the Washington Post reported on June 15. The article focuses on a study published in the journal Medical Care, noting that the new research coincides with a nationwide shortage of RNs and “reports of widespread burnout.” Researchers…

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Left sniffling and sneezing after a whirlwind 4 days at my first AORN Global Surgical Conference and Expo in Nashville, Tennessee, I had more on my mind than whether the term “conference-acquired infection (CAI)” was officially part of the medical nomenclature, much less whether any studies had been done. I…

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Editor's Note What are some key components of effective leadership? Understanding the complexity of team dynamics, displaying emotional intelligence—especially in difficult situations, and embracing socialization. Lieutenant Colonel Shari Bowen, assistant professor, department of behavioral sciences and leadership, at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, broke down these…

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Editor's Note In this study led by California's Stanford Health Care, researchers found significant associations of surgical team composition and dynamics with operative efficiency for total hip (THAs) and total knee arthroplasties (TKAs), independent of case complexity. The analysis included 641 total joint arthroplasties (279 THAs and 362 TKAs) performed…

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Editor's Note In order for perioperative services to operate smoothly, it is crucial to manage surgical preference cards efficiently, Megan Eubanks, MBA, Senior Director of Business Operations, Perioperative and Procedural Services, The University of Kansas Hospital, discussed in a session, “Getting Your Surgical Preference Cards Right.” She shared with the…

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