Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/993476
Message from the President Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a young labor and delivery nurse from Philadelphia two years removed from nursing school. In her spare time she also provides in-home nursing care for high-risk, inner-city obstetrical patients. Our conversation immediately brought to mind the article in this edition of Managing Risk that explores the correlation between poverty and a dramatically reduced life expectancy. I had asked this proud RN if the academic training she received had adequately prepared her for everything she has experienced during the initial years of her career. "Absolutely," she said, even going as far as to say that she had even been primed emotionally to cope with the inevitable death of a newborn. Still, she expressed how surprised she was to feel an even greater sense of despair and anguish for the many underprivileged, overwhelmed, and oen single moms-to-be and their unborn children who in her own words "were destined to struggle for eternity." She said she grew up in a middle-class community in Upstate New York, and except for a few of her classmates who took advantage of subsidized school lunches, poverty in the extreme never entered her visual field. Now, as an RN immersed in a disadvantaged patient population, she admied there was nowhere to run, hide or shut herself off from the heartbreak of their poverty, even if she had been inclined to do so. And while she realized that individuals in her position have lile power to alter the future circumstances of their patients' lives, she believes it's possible for her to at least ensure that what happens in the present day is indifferent to their financial status. As she put it, "Everyone flies first class when they're under my care." Much has been wrien about the lack of access to quality medical care among the poor. What has been less heralded is the quality of care that people of all economic means receive by individuals like this young RN when they enter the healthcare system. From all that I have seen, this continues to be the rule rather than the exception. In the months ahead, Getinge celebrates these men and women for what they do best – not only saving lives, but improving lives every day. Keep your eye out for this national media campaign that expresses how much our company values their commitment and professionalism and the pride we take in being a small part of their heroic efforts. Chris Odom President, Surgical Workflows USA OR integration without the drama. Most action-adventure movies and spy thrillers seem to have one thing in common. Inevitably, some dressed-in-all-black techy with a headset will sit in front of a row of huge high-definition monitors, jab at his keyboard and instantly call up archived surveillance video of the shadowy spy or bad guy, his complete dossier, real-time GPS tracking of his motorcycle's high-speed route through busy city streets and the schematic of the alarm system at the local art museum. If only one day it could be that easy in the OR to access and orchestrate the overwhelming flow of live and archived images, patient data and key equipment/ room functions. The fact is, that day has already arrived. But it's only that easy when those influencing purchase decisions know what to look for. Healthcare institutions continue to integrate additional devices, information systems and image databases into the workflow of their traditional or Hybrid OR. Today, it's estimated that 40% of the ORs have some level of OR integration. For good reasons: 1. Effective OR integration helps standardize practices and improves throughput by having a single, centralized management system for surgical imaging/video and devices within the surgical suite. 2. As an educational tool, a well-managed database of surgical imagery facilitates information sharing among patients and practitioners – a key element of patient satisfaction. 3. OR integration can dramatically enhance collaboration and communication within the OR and between members of the surgical team and remotely located consultative resources. Selection of the right OR integration system will ultimately determine just how user-friendly and future-proof the initial OR integration strategy turns out to be. The fact is, choosing the wrong OR integration system can be even more problematic than having no system at all, oen creating the kinds of workflow issues it was designed to eliminate. For starters, an OR integration system must be highly intuitive to operate. Some systems have been found to overcomplicate the process, creating a degree of uncertainty and confusion among OR staff members who need to access information and modify seings without hesitation or delay from a single point of control. Any unnecessary complexity can create an unacceptable risk in the hectic OR where time is precious and decisions are made at warp speed. Just as importantly, open system architecture must be scalable and upgradeable; have the ability to interface with leading HIS, RIS, OR planning and PACS systems; and seamlessly integrate into the facility's existing IT environment. As standards and technology (such as 4K video routing) continue to evolve, it's imperative the selected OR integration system can accommodate these changes to eliminate the significant economic and operational risk of premature obsolescence.