February 2023

When RaDonda Vaught was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide for a fatal medication error that she self-reported, the ruling sent shockwaves across the medical community and left nurses fearful the criminalization of medical mistakes could...

Flexible endoscope care is a complex, multilayered process rife with opportunities for errors and missed steps....

Airway management is one of the most important skills any anesthesia provider should master for one very good reason: Complications from difficult airways and poor management of those airways, though rare, can be life-threatening....

Infection prevention procedures have always been a key focus during on-site inspections, and their importance has only intensified since the pandemic began in 2020. Here’s what surveyors will be looking for...

Like many high-volume ASCs emerging from the pandemic’s depths, Ohio Gastroenterology Group had a phone call problem … as in, way more than its staff and physicians could handle....

Patients undergoing even short surgical procedures can have inadvertent changes in body temperature that can cause hypothermia....

In 2021, more than 4,000 cases were performed in the ORs at WellSpan Health Apple Hill Surgical Center in York, Pa., and the facility’s nurses and OR assistants pulled numerous individual supplies...

The staff at Seven Hills ASC & Cath Lab in Henderson, Nev., developed a simple yet effective way to remind their catheter lab patients who...

If your staff always finds itself in need of an open outlet that never seems to exist, here’s a simple fix: Power strips that can be mounted to IV poles, mobile carts and modular workstations...

Want a simple way to make sure your staff recycles more? Make sure cans are easily accessible and visible. Knoxville (Tenn.) Orthopaedic Surgery Center utilizes recycling trash cans in its staff lounges...

Amy Avila, RN, CCRN, CSC, has a simple suggestion that can help perioperative healthcare workers decompress: Get a little artistic, even if you’re not a natural....

When a number I didn’t recognize lit up my phone’s screen and interrupted the classic Stone Temple Pilots Unplugged concert that had been getting me through yet another dreary November day...

It has happened to me throughout my entire career. I’d walk into a different department to see a patient before surgery and be mistaken for a housekeeper, transporter or dietary staff member....

Accreditation is a crucial element of a successful ASC. It positions a new facility to receive Medicare funding in months, compared to potentially waiting for a year or more to receive certification from your...

The old adage, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” feels like it was written specifically for the surgical experience. Whether patients are choosing an elective surgery or in need of emergent surgery...

Every profession has its own secret language, but it’s safe to say our workplace jargon is in a class of its own. We have a storied history of mnemonics, acronyms and devices to recall information on a dime....