Public Relations Promotes AORN and Perioperative Nursing - Brief Article

AORN Journal, March, 2000

During the last quarter of 1999, AORN's Public Relations Department processed several requests for information from media organizations that turned to AORN as a credible source of perioperative nursing knowledge. These requests included

* "60 Minutes" for information about reprocessing single-use devices;

* "NBC Nightly News," Investor's Business Daily, and General Surgery News regarding reuse of single use devices.

* "ABC News" regarding foreign objects left in patients during surgery;

* "ABC News 20/20" in reference to medical safety incidents;

* CBS News, Dallas, regarding the importance of safety checklists;

* Men's Health about preparing for surgery from a male's perspective;

* the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding perioperative careers;

* the Dublin Times, Ireland, requesting information on RN first assistants;

* Wilmington, Del, News Journal regarding RNs being replaced by robots in the OR;

* Colorado Biz about national organizations whose headquarters are in Denver;

* Materials Management in Healthcare in reference to latex safety issues;

* Same Day Surgery for information about tonsillectomy procedures in ambulatory settings and manager and supervisor liability issues;

* Health Care Purchasing News regarding a prediction of potential blood shortage, materials managers requesting more RNs on their staffs, AORN's 2000 legislative agenda, the effect of safety needles on budgets, and reprocessing of single-use devices;

* Sentinel Event Alert from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations about surgical and postoperative complications; and

* Same Day Surgery involving an update on career issues.

In addition to processing these requests, the Public Relations Department submitted an article about the career of perioperative nursing to the American Nurses Association's The American Nurse. The article was featured in the November/ December 1999 issue.