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Stage is set for debates on practice at 2005 House

AORN Journal, Jan, 2005 by Charlotte Guglielmi

The AORN Board of Directors met at Kimberly-Clark Headquarters, Roswell, Ga, from Nov 4 to 6, 2004. All Board members were present, as were AORN Executive Director Tom Cooper, CAE, and executive staff members. This was the third time the Board held a meeting away from Denver to take advantage of opportunities to partner with industry colleagues. Representatives from Kimberly-Clark provided the group with a tour of their facility.

Staff Changes

Cooper began the meeting by announcing changes to the executive team. James Cousin will take on new responsibilities as AORN's chief operating officer, and Garth Jordan has been promoted to vice president of product sales and marketing. In addition, Cathy Sparkman, JD, was introduced as AORN's new consultant on legislative affairs.

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Agenda Items for Congress

Before the meeting, Board members convened via conference call to discuss items on the meeting agenda. Committee chairs and staff liaisons who had sent items to the Board for consideration joined in the call so Board members could ask them questions about their recommendations. This helped Board members with premeeting preparation.

Several items were approved and placed on the 2005 Forum and House of Delegates agenda to be addressed at the 2005 Congress in New Orleans. A preliminary Forum and House of Delegates agenda appears on page 67 of this issue of the Journal. It includes information on two Forums and a special Town Hall Forum, as well as the House of Delegates sessions. Items that will come before the House will be discussed during all three Forums.

Proposed position statements approved by the Board that will come before the House of Delegates include the

* Proposed Position Statement on Correct Site Surgery,

* Proposed Position Statement on Entry into Practice,

* Proposed Position Statement on Orientation of the Registered Professional Nurse to the Perioperative Setting,

* Proposed Position Statement on the Role of the Scrub Person, and

* Proposed Position Statement for Safe On Call Practices.

Additional practice issues, such as fire safety, staffing and productivity, and implantable electronic devices, also are on the agenda for the Forums and House of Delegates sessions, as is member access. This agenda reaffirms the Board's commitment to the members that the primary work of the Association is to drive practice.

Consent Agenda and AORN Journal

Several items on the consent agenda were approved during the Board meeting. These included

* the July 14 to 16, 2004, Board of Directors meeting minutes;

* the July 14, 2004, AORN Management Solutions shareholders meeting minutes, and

* ratification of Presidential and Board actions taken between meetings.

In July, to facilitate its commitment to the grass-roots members and to make AORN an indispensable resource for perioperative nurses, the Board sent a directive to editorial staff members to investigate placing full-text AORN Journal articles online. Staff members suggested using existing AORN vehicles to do this, a proposal which was approved by Nancy Girard, RN, PhD, FAAN, Journal editor, and Editorial Board members to take to the AORN Board of Directors. Placing Journal articles in the members-only area of AORN Online would increase the availability of information that can help members in their daily practice. The Board approved the motion to make full text of AORN Journal articles available to members only on AORN Online and to make more information available to members and nonmembers (eg, researchers) about where the Journal currently is available in full-text, online subscription databases. Full text of Journal articles is expected to be available in the members-only section of AORN Online within the next few months.

Collaboration

Board members also discussed the issue of medical malpractice reform. Although medical malpractice reform is not a priority on AORN's legislative agenda at this time, it is a major issue for many of AORN's physician partners. It also is an issue that will be high on the priority list for Federal legislation during George W. Bush's second term as President.

The Board approved a motion for staff members to enter into discussion with other health care organizations about how AORN can help these groups in their efforts to reform medical malpractice. Staff members will report back to the Board.

Other Business

The Board approved the standard definitions, review cycle, and approval process to be used for all AORN official statements (Table 1). Pauline Robitaille, RN, MSN, CNOR, AORN's chief nursing officer and vice president of professional services, brought this information to the Board in an effort to help members identify the approval process for AORN official statements.

The Board approved several recommended practices, including

* "Recommended practices for cleaning, handling, and processing anesthesia equipment";

* "Recommended practices for high-level disinfection"; and

* revised "Recommended practices for electrosurgery."

Health Care Industry

Stage is set for debates on practice at 2005 House

AORN Journal, Jan, 2005 by Charlotte Guglielmi

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