ORX Proceedings
Page 11
finishing the previous procedure and starting the next.
To achieve efficiency improvements, create accountability and provide staff with clear metrics and goals. Watch them in action before standardizing workflows, suggests Mr. McLaren. He told of the time he videotaped a room turnover in action, and to his surprise, a nurse who took the previous case's patient to PACU came back to the OR and started wiping down the back table — which a tech and an orderly had already done.
The audience laughed, but they also got the point: Every member of the surgical team must have assigned roles during room turnovers, and stick to them. The audience revealed that only a few more than half of them had established clearly defined assignments at their facilities.
Set expectations for staff, ensure they feel a compelling reason to change and give them tools they need to succeed. "They really want that," says Mr. McLaren. "If you do it, they'll work their tails off for you."
Above all, track and improve on every delay. Nearly 36% of the audience said they don't record in-room delays. "Create a culture focused on improvement, so you're always improving," says Mr. McLaren, who concluded his talk with his favorite Aristotle quote: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,
then, is not an act, but a habit."
— D.C.
