Performance Improvement Editor's Note This study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine finds that staff common area surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2 did not predict healthcare worker (HCW) COVID-19 infection. A total of 640 samples were obtained from staff common areas over 20 weeks. Unadjusted analysis found that…
Editor's Note This study from the UK of surgical patients in 18 countries finds that the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted surgical patients—directly through comorbid infections and indirectly by increasing mortality—irrespective of their COVID-19 status. In a subgroup analysis of 3,176 adult emergency surgical patients, all-cause, in-hospital…
Editor's Note A coalition of 12 states, on November 15, sued the federal government to block a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers (HCWs) in facilities participating in CMS programs, the November 16 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. This complaint follows a lawsuit…
The call for a diverse workforce echoes in ORs across the US. Although most OR leaders want to answer the call, they struggle in an environment where OR staff, particularly nurses, are in high demand. OR Manager recently spoke with experts from leadership, human resources, and DEI (diversity, equity, and…
Health systems across the country are enacting COVID-19 mandates to comply with a broad-sweeping federal requirement. Amid reports of high compliance rates, the mandate has triggered passionate and visceral responses on both sides of the debate. While some healthcare employees are eager to roll up their sleeves, others decry the…
This issue of OR Manager draws on content presented at both the 2021 OR Business Management and OR Manager Conferences. After more than a year, the OR Manager community came together to network, learn, and share knowledge as well as celebrate each other’s efforts from such a challenging year. The…
Lessons on leadership are the staple of any leadership-focused conference; but no conference presents leadership lessons tailored to the OR community quite like the OR Business Management Conference. After a 19-month hiatus, the OR Business Management Conference brought perioperative managers and administrators back together in what was described as an…
In 2018, Sam Weprin, MD, started his first year of residency in Urology. During one of his first prostatectomy cases, he witnessed an impeccable surgery performed by the attending surgeon. Unfortunately, a surgical needle went missing inside the patient. The surgeon and her team spent an hour searching for it,…
Last month, OR leaders convened for the 2021 OR Manager Conference in Chicago. The last 18 months have radically transformed healthcare delivery in the US, but many of the underlying challenges faced by hospitals and health systems before the pandemic remain unchanged. Despite the impact of COVID-19, attendees still grappled…
The foundation of sterilization is cleaning. How can we be sure that the mechanical cleaning equipment being used is producing clean medical devices? There are methods available to verify that the mechanical equipment used to clean medical devices is functioning appropriately. ANSI/AAMI ST79:2017 Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility…
