One of the ASCs run by the Florida Medical Clinic in the Tampa area has found a way to give its employees much-needed mental rests during busy days of surgery. Leadership bought two large coloring posters — one of a sloth...

A complaint about the behavior of a staff member will hopefully never get to the point where it’s heard by a jury, but you should know how to conduct a thorough, professional and well-documented investigation...

Pressure injury prevention isn’t just about using the right positioning aids. It’s an ever-continuing process of monitoring, documentation, education, investigation, risk assessment and process improvement. A dedicated, interdisciplinary team...

Surgeons are often compared to elite competitive athletes, but perhaps professional dancer is more appropriate — at least when it comes understanding the ergonomic and musculoskeletal issues physicians face throughout their careers....

About 45 minutes before surgery, Joseph Nessler, MD, will stop by pre-op to mark the correct surgical site of his total joint patients. He’ll say hello, note his initials where he intends to cut and ask if the patient has any last-minute questions....

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most common and costly of all healthcare complications, yet as many as half are considered preventable. While costs of treating SSIs vary widely based on the degree of infection...

Endoscopic sinus surgery requires surgeons to maneuver mere millimeters from critical structures. They operate near the orbital lamina papyracea, and sometimes inside the orbit itself, and often use image guidance to help them move...

Megan Muñoz is finishing up nursing school at Chamberlain University outside of Chicago. She just completed her clinical rotation and will graduate with her BSN in September. Unlike many nursing students, however, Ms. Muñoz is ready to...

When a patient from Raleigh Orthopedic Clinic returned home from his knee replacement surgery in May, there was a base station on his nightstand awaiting his return. The station was there because the patient was the first person...

Last month, AORN’s staff gathered at its Denver headquarters for an organizational enterprise meeting. We caught up with colleagues outside of our screens and met others for the first time in person. It was an energizing....

Some time ago, an experiment was designed to get patients to be more active during their post-surgical recoveries by using pedometers. Everyone in the controlled study was given their weekly pedometer data, but half were given...

My hospital’s sterile processing department is responsible for turning around 1,500 instrument trays a day. Our surgeons specialize in a variety of orthopedic procedures, including total joints and spine, so our reprocessing techs...

Surgery centers are in line to capture a sizable number of cases as insurers and providers look to shift more complex procedures out of hospital ORs. As the migration of surgeries to same-day settings continues to...

A new Pennsylvania law eases restrictions that have limited the kinds of procedures allowed to be performed in ASCs. Gov. Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 818, which amends the state’s Health Care Facilities Act,...

The technologies and solutions both available and in development for techs in today's sterile processing departments (SPDs) are becoming smarter, faster and more advanced...

Speaking before a live audience, especially in a more intimate setting that OR Excellence provides, allows for an entirely different experience for the speakers and attendees....

Nancy Yen Shipley, MD, knows a thing or two about standing out. As a proud member of the 6% — the percentage of female orthopedic surgeons in the U.S. — she has never...

The Center for Surgical Health at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia is run by providers who want to improve the care of vulnerable individuals and under-resourced...

In 2016, Julia Scotti warmed her way into the hearts of millions of viewers worldwide when she appeared on NBC’s hit show “America’s Got Talent” and advanced all the way...

Sheri Prentiss, MD, MPH, CPS/A, CPE, FACPE, a dynamic personality who is often referred to as Dr. Sheri, wanted to be a physician ever since she was two years old....