It was shortly after 2 am on Sunday, June 12. Ambulances, trucks, and cars started arriving at Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) loaded with shooting victims from a terrorist attack at the Pulse nightclub. Because ORMC was just a couple of blocks from the nightclub, first responders loaded multiple victims…
Editor's Note Mangers who inspire their staff members who work in groups to perform above and beyond the call of duty may harm their employees' health, finds this study. The results suggest that constant pressure from transformational leaders to make an extra effort at work may promote self-sacrifice in vulnerable…
Total joint replacements have grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to an aging population and advances in surgical techniques and pain management. As a result, many healthcare facilities have added joint and spine procedures to their service lines. Others would like to know how to do this. What’s involved in…
Surgeon champions can make or break a perioperative initiative. But it’s not enough to simply identify a single champion. OR leaders must engage a wide range of physicians to improve the organizational structure of the healthcare system. At Intermountain Healthcare, a 22-hospital system based in Salt Lake City, Utah, surgical…
Editor's Note Musical preferences and perceptions of the effect of music in the OR differ by professional status and specialty, this study finds. A survey of 282 patients and 390 providers (ie, physicians, residents, and nurses in anesthesiology and surgery), found that: Patients who highly enjoyed music said it alleviated…
How can OR managers better prepare staff to handle crisis situations? How can they encourage teamwork? Increasingly, OR leaders are turning to simulation to answer those questions. OR leaders who think they can’t afford a high-fidelity manikin (one that talks and exhibits physiologic changes) and state-of-the-art simulation lab might…
Emergencies such as the one described above don’t happen frequently in the OR, but it is important to prepare for them, and simulation has emerged as an ideal educational tool. This scenario took place in a simulation lab, not a real OR, so the danger to the “patient” (manikin) consisted…
Part 1 of this two-part series, published in the January issue of OR Manager, discussed the concepts of professional peer review (PPR). In this article, experts from University Medical Center (UMC) in Lubbock, Texas, and Boston Medical Center share strategies for implementing the process. Staff involvement Once staff understand…
Editor's Note Patient safety approaches that combine teamwork training and systems interventions are more effective than either approach alone, this study finds. The study involved 4-month safety improvement interventions in 5 UK hospitals using teamwork training (TT); systems redesign and standardization (SOP); Lean quality improvement; SOP plus TT; or Lean…
The most successful perioperative services leaders are those who have built excellent teams that balance individual responsibility and accountability with respect for all team members, regardless of the roles they play. To create that culture, OR leaders must model the behavior and attitudes they expect from their staffs. One way…