It’s been more than five years since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world of surgery (and the entire planet). Luckily, there’s no indication of a similarly disruptive...

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has released six updated guidelines since April 2024, with more updates on the way in the coming months....

In May 2024, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) published a report, “Modernizing Medical Device Instructions for Use (IFUs)”...

Failure to prioritize the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs) may result in your facility incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs...

It seems so simple: Clean hands provide a safe environment for patients. But as anyone who works at a surgical facility knows, sometimes the most basic things — especially...

Most facilities struggle with turnover times that are higher than leadership would like....

Do you usually read instructions? I rarely do unless I’m stuck. Take cooking, for example. Once I find a recipe I like, I tend to make it from memory, skipping the instructions....

It’s a common practice for surgical facilities to celebrate number-specific milestones — the first robotic surgery, the 100th, 500th or 1,000th total joints case, and so on....

Anyone who has ever turned over an OR knows that all disinfectant wipes aren’t created equal....

When it comes to hand hygiene, simple messaging can work wonders. Infection prevention leader Nicole Nomides, MT(ASCP), MS, CIC, FAPIC, can attest to that fact from...

Selecting the right antiseptic and using proper skin-prepping technique are obviously key to keeping patients free from infections, but so is using the correct-size applicator....

Technologies such as automated endoscope reprocessors (AERs), borescopes and specialized drying cabinets help staff at busy GI centers seamlessly perform a steady...

The “important part” of the surgery is over, and the sense of relief in the OR is palpable....

Double-gloving and sharps safety are separate but equally important measures. Unfortunately, both areas can present major problems for leaders....

Operating room temperatures have long been a point of contention among clinical staff and surgical teams....

At first blush, skin prep seems like a relatively straightforward process where nothing could go wrong....

Should facilities screen all patients for Staphylococcus aureus, or just some? Should they decolonize all patients without screening first?...

It’s a battle that never ends: disinfection of the many fixed and mobile surfaces in your ORs after every case, performed as quickly and as thoroughly as possible....

Houston Methodist Hospital experienced a spike in reportable surgical site infections (SSIs) after open abdominal hysterectomies in 2023....

When the wildfires raged in California earlier this year, it wasn’t just firefighters who were concerned about the impact of the smoke....