A few months ago, my staff came to me with a rather odd request. They wanted to convert an empty room off of the surgery area into a relaxation room, a mini-retreat...

I've conducted more than 1,000 fire drills at surgery centers. OR staff make the same 4 mistakes when trying to extinguish a simulated fire. These simple errors...

The impact inhalational anesthetics have on the environment is probably greater than you realize. Consider these planet-polluting realities:...

It takes about 24 hours for enough epithelial cells to proliferate across surgical wounds to protect the area from infection. You can tell patients to keep wounds...

Soon after I started my career in the OR 38 (!) years ago, the first Universal Law of OR Nursing grabbed me by my scrub jacket and shook me into a higher state of...

I am the founder of Littlethanks (littlethanks.ca), a line of scrub-sized thank-you cards for nurses to let their fellow nurses know how much they appreciate and respect...

When does it make the most sense to buy prefilled syringes? Some say if you administer a drug 10 times or more a day, you’ll save considerable time not having to draw it up,...

This year's Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) meeting in Baltimore provided a powerful snapshot of how far our discipline...

If you're like most surgery center administrators, you started out as a hospital OR circulator, an apprenticeship that didn't come close to preparing you for all the hats...

Kids like to drive electric cars to the OR. Older patients prefer the quiet ride of a motorized stretcher chair that transforms from seat to transport stretcher to OR...

It's human nature to want to apologize. When we cut someone off in traffic, when we forget to follow up on an email, when we say something that we shouldn't have,...

After the grind of the interview process, it's exciting when you find a nurse who will be a great addition to your team. You're hoping the person will blend well with...

If your anesthesia providers rely on inhaled anesthetics and opioids, they're behind the times. As Gary Lawson, MD, says: "I used to knock out patients. Now I knock out...

Cataract surgeons continue to live somewhat dangerously in their efforts to prevent the rare but dangerous infection of post-op endophthalmitis. Topical prophylaxis...

Isador Lieberman, MD, MBA, FRCSC, was involved in the development of the original Mazor robot, and has been one of the pioneers and champions of robotic spine...

You never want to sacrifice patient safety in your quest to start the next case as soon as possible. Here's a collection of tips to speed room turnover without jeopardizing...

The most common surgical malpractice claim is operative negligence, which arises when a plaintiff alleges that a surgeon deviated from the standard of care during...

The patient was saying all the right things, but something about the way she was acting seemed off. Turn on your observers, thought the receptionist. It's the motto...

Our hand hygiene compliance had gone to the dogs when the idea struck me to unleash my sweet English Bulldog, Lilly, on the problem. I took down our standard please...

Do your surgeons and staff place their rings on a necklace or tie them to their scrub pants during a case? Now they can secure their rings to their bra straps with the Joleo...