Management Focus attendees participate in specialized session content, networking lunch, and special exhibit hours; Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - Management Focus

AORN Journal,  July, 2002  

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The isolation of the OR also creates staffing problems. For example, it is difficult to find floaters for the OR when help is needed. In addition, more unlicensed assistive personnel and higher levels of productivity required in the OR lead to strain and burnout. Dr Spencer said she has found in her research that many nurses are not comfortable with a supervisory role. They feel burdened by being responsible and having to delegate to assistive personnel.

"Orientation of new staff is paramount in terms of job satisfaction," said Dr Spencer, adding that many times organizations are using preceptors who are not right for the job. "Not everyone should be a preceptor," said Dr Spencer. Precepting in the current job environment needs to be a learned skill. "There needs to be an ongoing, dynamic learning process," said Dr Spencer.

NANCY K. KUEHL SENIOR EDITOR

STOPPING SENTINEL EVENTS

Ann Kobs, RN, MS, presented "Using Standards to Prevent Sentinel Events." Kobs, a former perioperative nurse, now works in the Sentinel Events program at the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Patient safety is at a premium in health care organizations, said Kobs, as she presented 11 recommendations from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for patient safety practices.

These strategies deal with medication issues, catheter placement, wrong-site surgery, and preventing perioperative infections. Kobs also presented relevant JCAHO standards for each recommendation, as well as examples of real-life sentinel events. The most shocking of these examples relates to wrong-site surgery. In the case cited, two women were admitted to a hospital at the same time, one to undergo a hysterectomy, the other for a breast enhancement. Kobs said, "Guess who got what."

Kobs also presented some future research priorities, including localizing specialized surgeries and procedures to high-volume centers and use of computerized physician order entry systems.

BARBARA SCHMIDT ASSOCIATE EDITOR SSM ONLINE

PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED

The session "Terrorism, and Natural Disaster: Firsthand Experiences, brought together four nurses from hospitals that dealt with a flood and the events of Sept 11, 2001. In her part of the presentation, Darlena A. Stevens, RN, MSN, CNOR, related how her hospital complex dealt with problems caused by flooding from Tropical Storm Allison in Houston.

The complex lost support systems, which were located in the basement, and in many cases, their mode of transportation, which was via underground tunnels. Stevens said she learned it was important to set priorities in the command center, but that communication was the number one priority. "Let staff know what's going on and what the expectations are," said Stevens. She noted that the hospitals' preparations for the Year 2000 (Y2K) alleviated some of the misery, and she recommended that hospitals purchase life support systems with battery backup if possible.

Michelle Burke, RN, MSA, CNOR, agreed that communication is the most important factor when dealing with a disaster. When the World Trade Center collapsed, staff members at her hospital, which is in the area, braced themselves for the worst. Burke said that when the information starts flowing, it is critical to have a person in the organization who can get that information out. A "master communicator" helps keep the panic down and reduces fear.