Joint Commission issues Quick Safety on diversity
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on July 13, issued a new “Quick Safety Issue 60: Understanding the needs of diverse populations in your community.” To address the health and well-being of diverse populations in US communities, hospitals and medical centers can use the following safety actions and strategies: Requiring leadership…
Use of Pandemic Escape Room to increase learner engagement in infection prevention education
Editor's Note Escape Rooms, which were conceived as a social activity, yielded themselves as a low-cost, high-impact and effective tool for healthcare education during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study from the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System finds. The Pandemic Escape Room ran every half hour for 4 days, providing 48…
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,…
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…
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…
Humble giants of leadership
This series, written by OR Manager’s clinical editor, Judy Mathias, MA, RN, presents the management approaches of top leaders from around the country and describes the qualities that make them exemplary leaders. These articles are intended to inspire nurse leaders to achieve the highest levels of success in their careers…
First assistants bring expertise and efficiency to the OR table--Part 2
First assistants (FAs) can play an important role in achieving optimal outcomes and higher surgical case volumes. Part 1 of this two-part series discussed types, education, and certification of FAs (OR Manager, May 2021, pp 1, 15-18). Part 2 answers questions related to risk management and oversight, and discusses possible…
Editorial
A year ago at this time, healthcare facilities were busy resuming elective procedures that had been put on hold because of COVID-19—a feat that required agility, innovation, and collaboration to ensure staff and patient safety amid the ongoing pandemic. It’s remarkable that multiple vaccines have since been developed and administered…
Free Daily News
- Study: ERAS protocol reduces opioid use after cardiac surgery
- Study: Prehabilitation reduces surgical complications, speeds recovery
- Commentary: Studies show how surgeon decisions follow the money
- Proposed HIPAA updates would improve cybersecurity, increase costs for healthcare providers
- Study: EMR data can enhance hand hygiene compliance, infection prevention
- Study: Machine learning model improves perioperative pain assessment
- Call for improved suicide risk screening in ASCs aims to strengthen safety protocols
- Study: Perioperative pregabalin reduces risk of kidney decline compared to gabapentin
- Medical school diversity declines after Supreme Court ruling
- Surgeons risk losing ground as transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions rise