Most facilities communicate clearly with patients about what they are likely to experience perioperatively when receiving nerve blocks, but what happens when they return to their homes after discharge?...

The patient care coordinators at Urology Health Surgery Center in Fort Washington, Pa., try to make sure their patients leave with smiles on their faces. To do this, they created a wall of laughs that is covered in silly “dad jokes” to...

From the time a patient schedules their surgery at your facility to the time they leave the PACU to head home, they’re quietly grading your every move....

There’s plenty of compelling big-picture data out there to support the need for meticulous and consistent point-of-use instrument care. A 2020 study in BMJ Quality & Safety is a great example....

Maintaining a fleet of drills, saws and reamers that keeps an entire practice of orthopedic surgeons happy is as much an art as a science. Many of these critical tools are generally agreed upon by all staff based on very objective criteria....

Many patients suffer from both cataracts and glaucoma, so why not address both conditions during the same surgery? While such an efficient option seems like a no-brainer, in reality it’s not quite that simple....

Major change doesn’t happen overnight — especially in the world of surgery. Little by little the trends of today mold and shape the industry of tomorrow. For facility leaders, keeping up with these changes is an absolute imperative....

Great Ideas for Your OR

Same-day shoulder replacements are very much in their infancy, but the migration from inpatient hospitals to ambulatory ORs is moving fast. In fact, the rate at which shoulder replacements are increasing is higher than...

Sandra Lindsay, RN, made it clear to anyone who would listen that she wanted to be first in line to receive the coronavirus vaccine. She was emotionally exhausted from witnessing the pain and suffering of...

What's wrong with our healthcare system? That's the question I couldn't stop asking myself after an Air Force deployment to Afghanistan that ended in 2008. I had been thinking...

Accreditation is more than a simple stamp of approval. Sure, accredited facilities meet nationally recognized quality measures, implement evidence-based clinical practices...

The pandemic has everyone on edge and patients’ frustration levels have understandably reached an all-time high. Dealing with a highly agitated patient...

Recent spikes in coronavirus infection rates in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California forced some hospitals to pause elective surgeries in order to allocate their resources...

Stryker's T7 helmet can be tailored to each user, keeping them cool and comfortable without sacrificing barrier protection. It's billed as the vendor's lightest and quietest...

The short- and long-term impact of COVID-19 will surely include a radical change in how surface disinfection is practiced and enforced. "All of my surgical facilities are asking...

Hard work has always been part of the price to pay for working in surgery, but perhaps never to the level that it is now. “We were already experiencing a high burnout rate...

Electrosurgical devices are used in virtually every operating room across the country, so it’s worrisome that surgeons and surgical teams don’t receive formal training on how...

Too often pressure injuries are thought of as an inpatient problem, an issue that’s highly unlikely to occur during the shorter procedures performed in outpatient facilities...

Patients decide to have their knees, hips and shoulders replaced when the debilitating effects of degenerative joint disease impact their daily lives, preventing them from...