To ensure optimal patient safety and OR performance, nursing leadership must foster and maintain strong relationships and communication with multiple departments. These key resources include surgical scheduling, anesthesia, central supply, sterile processing and the preoperative and postoperative areas.
The operating room is staffed with highly educated and well-trained personnel equipped with the knowledge and expertise required to move patients safely and efficiently from the preoperative setting to the surgical suite and into the recovery room. Surgical teams are usually composed of an Anesthesiologist and/or CRNA/AA, Physician Assistant or Surgical Assistant, Registered Nurse, Surgical Technologist, transport and environmental services.
It is imperative for the OR Director and Nurse Manager to establish best practices regarding adequate staffing in the preoperative phase, operating rooms and in the post-anesthesia care units in order to enhance patient safety and improve nursing and surgeon satisfaction. Designated support staff are assigned to clean pre-op bays and post-op bays and support OR room turnovers to facilitate workflow and adhere to meticulous infection control guidelines.
Another crucial component to the overall success of the OR relies upon the Central Supply and Sterile Processing department. It is paramount to have the Sterile Processing Team educated in infection control practices, instrument and medical device cleaning, high level disinfection and decontamination procedures, sterilization protocols and packaging systems. Our Subject Matter experts can help your department become more effective and efficient with on-time delivery of supplies and sterile instruments.
Structured, multidisciplinary teams are an instrumental part of the patient’s surgical experience and operating room efficiency. Enhance Healthcare’s perioperative improvement consultants can provide your OR leadership with guidance on resource support and optimal staffing arrangements leading to increased patient safety and surgeon satisfaction.
To learn more please request a Free Consultation or reach out to us at info@enhancehc.com
Written by:
Holli Greenfield, RN, BSN
OR Nurse Executive