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Supine Positioning: Enhanced Approaches to a Common Surgical Routine
Amos Schonrock, MAN, RN, ST, PHN, CSSM, CNAMB, CNOR, NE-BCPerioperative Practice and Safety SpecialistOne of the highly common surgical positions is supine. This approach involves the surgical team’s watchful eyes to oversee a patient that will lie on their back with...
Pressure Injuries: Protect your Patients in Extreme Surgical Positions
Some surgical procedures require extreme positioning to ensure that the targeted surgical area is accessible to the surgeon and the surgical team. Extreme positioning requires extreme positioning devices, manufactured to meet the need for surgical access....
Safe Lateral Position for Improved Team and Patient Outcomes
The lateral surgical position is one of the most labor-intensive surgical positions that depends on brute force and team strength. The lateral position is not only physically taxing on the staff, but also can be as hard on the patient; therefore, it is important to...
Distractions in the OR
Distractions and interruptions occur frequently in the operating room and procedural suites. They can negatively impact patient safety, care coordination, and efficiency by causing errors and patient harm. Distraction and interruptions in the OR and procedural suites...
Perioperative Nutritional Optimization to Prevent Pressure Injuries
More than 50% of older surgical patients are thought to have malnutrition that is associated with increased postoperative complications, prolonged length of hospitalization and increased health care cost.The surgical patient is at a nutrition and fluid disadvantage...
Understanding Compassion Fatigue in Nursing
Nursing shortages, burnout and compassion fatigue require nurses to practice self-care. Compassion Fatigue can occur with exposure to one case or can be due to a “cumulative” level of trauma. Compassion fatigue develops over time, taking weeks, sometimes years to...
Improve Patient Outcomes: Keep the Perioperative Patient Warm
Perioperative hypothermia can be associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality, Hart, Bordes, Hart, Corsino, & Harmon (2011) describe a threefold increase in the incidence of morbid cardiac outcomes, increases in surgical blood loss, a 20% increase...
Prevent Fire Risk in the O.R.: Team Communication
Prevent Fire Risk in the O.R.: Team Communication Fire in the O.R. is catastrophic. It usually happens when the team least expects it and the patient being high-risk has usually not been identified. There is no clear data regarding how many fires occur in the O.R....
Preventing OR Specimen Errors
Operating Room Specimen Errors can be devastating as it can affect the patient diagnosis, treatment and outcome. Imagine having the correct diagnosis given to the wrong patient, or a diagnosis that never makes it to the patient because the specimen is lost! How about...
Turnover Times: Reality vs Expectations
Benchmarking efficiency is nothing new to the perioperative team; it is talked about in huddle, in services, and staff meetings. Efficiency in the Operating Room (OR) is measured by time, including start time, end time, turnover time, incision to closure time, block...
