Studies have shown that up to 30% of the population may be colonized with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in their nares and up to 5% of U.S. hospitalized patients...

Zero is always the goal. Our surgery center works tirelessly on multiple fronts to ensure no patient walks away from an elective procedure with a surgical site infection (SSI). Of course, hitting that elusive benchmark is always...

For the past two-plus years, the world has constantly turned to infection preventionists and epidemiologists looking for answers on how to combat an insidious and...

Outpatient Surgery Magazine: What are your thoughts about the supply chain, especially on the ASC side of things — how it's been through the pandemic,...

Concerns from surgeons and nurses about the quality of our instruments forced us to determine the root cause of the issue. First, we had to find out if it was related to...

My son is 29 years old and living with autism. It’s been challenging as a parent to raise him in a world that doesn’t always understand or accommodate his unique needs....

PDI Healthcare’s Super Sani-Cloth Germicidal Disposable Wipes are now available in a softpack, which contains 80% less plastic than the company’s traditional large canister dispensers....

Everyone is talking about the RaDonda Vaught criminal conviction, so you know I’d have to chip in my two cents. Like so many of my fellow nurses, I haven’t been able to stop...

Five or 10 years ago, a basic anesthesia machine was perfectly suitable in many outpatient ORs. Times have changed, however, as the differences between hospitals...

During the first wave of the pandemic, a colleague of Rebecca Norton, RN, said, “We’re going to do this.” She meant the staff at CentraState Healthcare System’s Ambulatory Surgery Center in Freehold, N.J., would successfully...

A little recognition and positive reinforcement go a long way. At UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs, Colo., dedicated auditors reward staff who follow the facility’s hand hygiene protocols with a small bottle...

The extraordinary measures nurses took to combat COVID-19 has taken their toll on the profession and continue to worsen the ongoing crisis for the nursing workforce....

Palo Alto Medical Foundation Surgery Center Fremont (Calif.) has devised an effective solution for addressing situations when surgeons are a bit too eager to get to the next case. At the center, patients are asked to arrive earlier...

You put a significant amount of time and energy into ensuring staff keep their hands clean. The same should hold true for your patients. It’s best to encourage or even require them to wash or degerm their hands...

When pediatric surgeries began ramping up at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, the anesthesia and nursing teams wanted to be sure young patients felt comfortable in their care. “One CRNA mentioned that...

When you place patients head down with their stirrup-supported legs reaching skyward at a 30- to 45-degree angle, there is a laundry list of things that could go wrong,...

Staff at Eye 35 ASC in Schertz, Texas, make sure a team member in each department is always available on a walkie-talkie. The devices — used by pre-op and PACU nurses, surgical team members and runners who turn over...

Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for women performed in the U.S., second only to cesarean section, and increasing numbers of surgeons are opting...

Patients who have their knees and hips replaced at Yale Medicine in New Haven, Conn., are ready to head home the day of surgery in large part because they’re given shots...

Total hip replacement is a life-changing operation. Patients who were once riddled with pain are able to move about freely and return to their routine activities. Efforts to ensure...