About one third of the times that doors are opened in the operating room are unnecessary, according to a new Swedish study described in this article. How Kaiser Permanente hospitals in the Southern California region are addressing this as part of their “Highly Reliable Surgical Teams” initiative is described. Practices adopted by Ogden Regional Medical Center (UT), Holland Hospital (MI), and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital are discussed. Among the solutions to cut down on traffic in the OR are a no-break policy for certain procedures, starting long cases early to avoid shift change time, and incorporation of technology to improve communications.
Source:
Curbing OR traffic: finding ways to minimize the flow of personnel. OR Manager;28(6):1, 9-11, June 2012. Click here for publisher’s website: http://www.ormanager.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=23 Posted by AHA Resource Center, (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
For more information on Highly Reliable Surgical Teams: Click here: http://www.aaos.org/news/aaosnow/feb08/research5.asp
Filed under: Patient safety, Posted by Kim Garber, Surgical suite | Tagged: Breaks for operating room nurses, Breaks in the OR, No breaks during operations, Traffic in the operating room, Traffic in the surgical suite |
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