Performance Improvement The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified existing personnel shortages in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), which are anticipated to persist. Before the pandemic, nursing supply and demand were already affected negatively by several factors, including approximately 70,000 Baby Boomer RNs retiring per year. As the remaining Baby Boomer RNs retire over…
Perioperative nursing, like any field, requires authenticity, honesty, and integrity for successful management. As perioperative represents one of the most challenging and demanding healthcare environments, patient-centered leadership is a must. This article previously published by OR Manager, titled "Words of wisdom: OR leaders offer tips for new managers," expands on…
Editor's Note Due to staffing shortages, thousands of qualified applicants were turned away from nursing schools last year, despite the nationwide shortage of nurses, CNN Business October 5 reports. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nearly 78,200 qualified applications were denied by nursing schools in 2022. Nearly 66,300…
Editor's Note An experimental vaccine designed by researchers at University of Southern California has been shown to prevent serious infections from drug-resistant pathogens, according to an October 2023 study published by Science Translational Medicine. In this study, titled "A protein-free vaccine stimulates innate immunity and protects against nosocomial pathogens," the…
A previous issue of OR Manager included the article, "Building a business case for new technology," which featured tips from leaders at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on the importance of building a thorough business case for implementing new technology in the OR. With the next OR Business Management…
Editor's Note This KFF survey from June 2023 found that some six in 10 adults with health insurance have experienced problems when trying to use their insurance, KFF Health News September 29 reports. The problems included denied claims, network adequacy issues, and preauthorization delays and denials. According to the survey,…
Editor's Note The September 2023 National Hospital Flash Report, published by Kaufman Hall on October 2, analyzed data from August 2023 and revealed that while margins are still below historic levels, hospital performance has continued to steadily improve. According to the report: "While hospital operating margins remain below historical levels,…
Editor's Note Data from The Joint Commission on sentinel events—events that result in patient death or serious harm—for the first half of 2023 are out and look to be on par with last year’s all-time high numbers, Becker's Clinical Leadership October 2 reports. Data from 2022 showed events rising to…
Editor's Note A September 2023 report from market research and consulting company PRC and published by Nursing Academy looked at retention, burnout, and engagement issues among more than 1,900 nurses at 37 hospitals. The report found that only 45% of nurses report being “fully engaged” at work, while 14.1% percent…
Editor's Note In this retrospective cohort study, researchers looked at the association between inflammation and various outcomes following major abdominal surgery. The study, titled "Postoperative systemic inflammation after major abdominal surgery: patient-centered outcomes," was published in the journal Anaesthesia, of the Association of Anaesthetists, in August 2023. Data came from…
