The dexterity needed to advance the catheter once you’re in the vein when placing an IV line is a fine motor movement that isn’t commonly used, so it takes plenty of practice to develop. To master the technique, hold a pen like...

Thirty years ago, I became a perioperative leader for the first time in my career. My three-decade leadership journey wouldn’t have been possible without the help of...

When New Tampa Surgery Center Nurse Manager Beth Hoy, MSN, RNFA, ON-C, CNOR, scrubs cases, she takes meticulous notes on the techniques and preferences of each surgeon. She turns her notes into surgeon- and case-specific...

John Urse, DO, FAOAO, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon in Dayton, Ohio, says performing hip arthroscopy is not a technically demanding task. Getting in and out of...

Two years ago last month, the coronavirus began to spread across the country. The virulent strain, which most of us had never heard of before it quickly became part of...

The outpatient surgery department at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center in Texas came up with a caring way to support patients who undergo dilation and curettage procedures after sudden miscarriages. The patients...

Members of perioperative teams must remember complex protocols — and know how to apply them in practice. McDonnell Outpatient Surgery Center at Piedmont Atlanta is part of a health system-wide safety program...

Staff at Einstein Endoscopy Center in Blue Bell, Pa., used to receive annual ergonomics training based on a standardized program designed by experts who work for the large health system that owns the facility. The instruction...

Virtual reality (VR) combines immersive, scalable technology with engaging and affordable education platforms to provide what many experts believe will become...

Getting operating rooms ready for the first case of the day and cleaning the spaces between cases demands plenty of teamwork, coordination and hard work. You can use...

Proper medication safety requires surgical leaders to ask some very tough questions. Are employees stealing drugs for consumption or resale? Did a staffer not dilute a drug...

Your staff must know how to immediately respond if a patient’s airway catches fire, surgical equipment starts to spark or flames erupt in the sterile field. It’s helpful to designate specific roles for each surgical team member...

From meticulous bedside pre-cleaning to high-level disinfection, endoscope reprocessing is a complex process that benefits greatly from standardization. That’s no...

This is an article about endoscope reprocessing. You know what that entails by now. Or at least you should. Scopes are wiped down with an enzymatic cleaner at the bedside...

While the staff at our small outpatient center performed yearly malignant hyperthermia (MH) simulation training, many of us agreed that we could be doing more. MH is...

Test your knowledge about potential hazards — and how to eliminate them.

A popular form of entertainment is a great way to boost your staff’s engagement in infection prevention training. “We decided to turn an entire education session into a zombie-themed escape room with an emphasis on...

Intraoperative fluoroscopy is a powerful but potentially dangerous aspect of many surgeries. The goal is to get the exact images the surgeon needs without exposing...

It's always important to learn from the mistakes of others. When the Joint Commission recently reported 104 incidences involving wrong-patient, wrong-site and wrong-procedure...

During my anesthesia training, instructors would often compare the complexities of administering sedation to learning how to fly a plane. Anesthesia providers, like their pilot counterparts, undergo rigorous training....