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...

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...

If you doubt the contention that it can take years — or even decades — for evidence to trickle into clinical practice, look no further than the lack of progress in implementing...

Surgeons are elite athletes in the operating room. They remain focused while executing precise maneuvers with complex instrumentation, and push through the pain of fatigued muscles...

Performing immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) offers plenty of potential benefits. Surgeons appreciate being able to halve post-op visits...

RaDonda Vaught stood in silence next to her attorney, seemingly resigned to her fate as the jury rendered its verdict. Guilty of gross neglect of an impaired adult. ...

Mistakes are bound to happen. I’ve made my share, especially during countdowns to print deadlines when page proofs are flying, stress levels are rising and the clock...

It’s been more than two years since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic. Well, technically, when this issue went to print, it has been two years, 18 days and four hours,...

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals’ Caldolor, an IV formulation of ibuprofen, is now FDA approved for preoperative use. When given before surgery, the non-narcotic pain reliever...

Looking for a fun way to spice up your next staff meeting or in-service? Gather 10 to 20 needle holders that have at least one thing wrong with them — a cracked box lock, chipped insert, loose ratchet — and throw in a couple...

Surgical professionals know opioids are not always the best way to control post-op pain, yet many still focus on using the drugs to help patients feel comfortable...

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...

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...

Gender identity is your internal sense of self, how you relate to your place in the world. For transgender individuals, their gender identity doesn’t align with the sex...