In effort to accommodate longer patient leg lengths and overcome the space constraints, IMP designed the Adapt2Fit to be the longest positioner on the market, when assembled. The result is that the Adapt2Fit is a full 2-7” longer than previous models. The increased positioner length provides more surface area for full flexion and extension of the knee, without moving the baseplate.
When Adapt2Fit’s to be fully sinks and single pass, money,
such as Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Smith + Nephew, and CUREXO
HSPA AORN UPDATES: GUIDELINES FOR STERILIZATION
All De Mayo Knee Positioners use a boot to secure the leg to the positioner. The posterior side of the boot includes a distractor block for use with our De Mayo Universal Distractor to distract the knee joint via an external force applied to the underside of the patient’s thigh with the leg positioned at 90 degrees of flexion. The distractor is controlled by the operating surgeon in the sterile field, enabling controlled distraction via a lever to create an unobstructed view into the joint space between the posterior femur and proximal tibia.
frames. In 1984, Innovative Medical Products became the gold standard with their original IMP McGuire Hip Positioner, many of which are still in use today.
In the traditional use of the De Mayo Knee Positioner, the foot and ankle are secured in the boot.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the OR
Shown: Universal Distractor® 2 0
The De Mayo Knee Positioner’s redesigned carriage and locking system delivers on both easy removal and improved holding power, helping to make knee surgeries easier for all types of cases, including bariatric. The patented ball and socket design provides the surgeon with more precise control of flexion, extension, tilt, and rotation.
SEE PAGE 56 FOR A RECAP OF THE EVENT!
When the De Mayo Knee Positioner boot is locked into the traveling carriage, knee flexion/extension and varus/valgus motion are controlled in the surgical field. Research conducted by IMP investigated the use of the Universal Distractor to further stabilize the leg during the registration process employed by the surgeon during navigated or robotic-assisted knee reconstruction. The study results demonstrated that the combination of these two devices improved stability of the leg, over the Knee Positioner alone, to improve the reliability of the registration process supporting the knee reconstruction.
Robotic Surgery Requires Improved Limb Stability and Access to the Knee Joint Positioning in Total Hip Redefining Rigid Patient Reconstruction
The introduction of robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery offers greater value of the De Mayo Knee Positioner due to its ability to increase limb stability during total knee procedures, when used with robotic systems from companies
Patient positioning during reconstructive hip surgery was traditionally accomplished using various positioning aids, from bean bags to pegboards to rigid clamping
CORPORATE PROFILE // PG 38
Innovative Medical Products (IMP) is a global pioneer in the design and distribution of surgical positioning devices and patient protective pads. Find out about IMP’s latest cutting-edge advances inside.
CLEAN CO N F I D E N T LY
INTRODUCING
The Next Generation Of Contamination Monitoring Technology
For the cleaning verification of surgical instruments, endoscopes, and surfaces, ATP Complete 2 by Ruhof is a cloud-based cleaning monitoring system used to help hospitals and other healthcare organizations achieve optimal standardized cleaning levels.
ENVIRON-MATE® DM6000 SERIES
unobstructed view into the joint space between the posterior femur and proximal tibia.
contents features
the control of rotation.
In the traditional use of the De Mayo Knee Positioner, the foot and ankle are secured in the boot. When the De Mayo Knee Positioner boot is locked into the traveling carriage, knee flexion/extension and varus/valgus motion are controlled in the surgical field. Research conducted by IMP investigated the use of the Universal Distractor to further stabilize the leg during the registration process employed by the surgeon during navigated or robotic-assisted knee reconstruction. The study results demonstrated that the combination of these two devices improved stability of the leg, over the Knee Positioner alone, to improve the reliability of the registration process supporting the knee reconstruction.
Positioning in Total Hip
Redefining Rigid Patient Reconstruction
OR TODAY | Winter 2025
COVER STORY
AI and machine learning (ML) are being integrated to predict surgical complications and case durations, automate documentation and streamline the perioperative workflow.
Patient positioning during reconstructive hip surgery was traditionally accomplished using various positioning aids, from bean bags to pegboards to rigid clamping
35 MARKET ANALYSIS
Grand View Research reports that the global infection control market size was valued at $214 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow over the forecast period from 2023 to 2030.
38
CORPORATE PROFILE
Innovative Medical Products (IMP) is a global pioneer in the design and distribution of surgical positioning devices and patient protective pads. Find out about IMP’s latest cutting-edge advances inside.
50 FITNESS
The number one diet that few people look into, yet is the most effective at fighting disease, is the Alkaline diet.
Justin Fontenot, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAADN Associate Professor, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Natalie Lind, Education Director for the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association, HSPA
Pat Thornton, MSM, RN, CNOR Perioperative Consultant, RNFA Dermatology Institute
Dawn Whiteside, DNP, MSN, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, RNFA, Director of Education, CCI
Julie Williamson, BA Director of Communications, HSPA
INDUSTRY UPDATES Censis
How AI is Revolutionizing Surgical Efficiency & Patient Safety
By Harshil Goradia, Chief Technology Officer, Censis
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is growing in adoption across nearly every industry. Healthcare is no exception. It is estimated that AI in the healthcare market will reach more than $187 billion USD by 2030, registering a CAGR of 38.5% from 2024 to 2030, according to a report by Grand View Research.
As AI continues to revolutionize healthcare, its potential in the surgical environment is becoming increasingly evident. By addressing critical operational challenges, AI can enhance precision, efficiency and patient outcomes. For example: staffing shortages and high turnover
in Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) contribute to burnout, reduced productivity, and quality concerns. These issues are compounded by the constant pressure to expedite operating room and instrument turnover to meet growing case volume and demand. At the same time, ensuring instrument processing is high quality and meets exacting standards to prevent the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs), makes reliable solutions more urgent than ever.
Technology as the Solution
Technology has proven to be a powerful enabler in addressing healthcare challenges and elevating the standards of patient care. Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) have
been a game changer in this regard. Innovations like Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) empower LLMs to access information outside of their training data, which can lead to more context-sensitive and accurate responses. As an example, doctors can now use an AI voice-based assistant to scribe notes and generate summaries while discussing patient diagnosis, AI powered chatbots can provide immediate support and information to patients and also help with routine administrative tasks. In SPDs, using computer vision models, AI copilots can be leveraged to make it easier for technicians to get information on various instruments and ensure high productivity and quality of SPD operations. These advancements make it
easier to utilize AI for retrieving contextsensitive information and generating rich content in any area, automating mundane administrative tasks, and freeing up time for healthcare professionals to focus on providing high quality care to patients. Additionally, emerging technologies such as Bluetooth-based real-time location services are gaining traction, enabling hospitals to automatically track movements of surgical trays throughout the facility.
There is still some way to go before we see large scale adoption of these tools across the surgical processes. However, as concerns around accuracy and privacy of information are addressed through responsible AI practices and ongoing advancements in automation, LLMs and RAG, adoption and trust is expected to accelerate. This moment will create a flywheel effect, driving greater efficiency and innovation and further increasing adoption, ultimately benefiting the entire healthcare ecosystem.
The Impact of AI on Surgical Safety and Efficiency
AI is already having an impact on many core challenges facing SPDs. Staffing shortages can be addressed through AI-based assistants, creating a digital workforce that can augment the physical workforce, helping to alleviate burnout and reduce mundane manual timeconsuming tasks. Bots can operate 24X7 and provide contextual information quickly and easily from multiple sources of data, leading to productivity and quality improvements of 5-10 times. In addition, users can now interact with their data in more natural languagebased user interfaces, allowing them to execute their jobs in an easier way.
A key advantage of AI in this space lies in the ability to deliver advanced data analytics with actionable insights. This empowers hospital functions including SPDs to enhance efficiency, quality and patient safety, ultimately improving patient care. By shifting from descriptive analytics to predictive, SPDs can forecast instrument usage to eliminate inefficiencies and optimize processes. Additionally, AI improves inventory management across the supply chain, ensuring resources are utilized effectively and reducing waste.
AI’s Role in Perioperative Planning and Decision-Making
Perioperative planning is becoming more complex as the volume of cases increases, making it increasingly difficult to make decisions based on all the available information. Data volumes have increased significantly in the last few years due to high adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), detailed capture of patient information, collecting data from multiple sources such as lab results, surgical devices, etc. Machine Learning algorithms can analyze these large data sets and generate insights to assist perioperative leaders in preoperative evaluation, medical history review, surgical planning and postoperative care planning. AI will not replace human expertise in perioperative planning, but rather serve as a force multiplier.
How AI Improves Management of OR Resources
Today, planning and coordinating resources required to support the surgical schedule is largely a manual task. Everyday schedulers, service leads, sterile processing leaders, and technicians spend time reviewing the everchanging case schedule and matching material requirements with physical assets. Traditional software has helped automate parts of this process but has struggled to bridge the gaps between systems and resource optimization. AI offers promise to solve these problems in the same way a human would, and therefore a way to automate these parts of the resource planning process.
For example, AI can help anticipate case demand, improve team readiness, and avoid costly inefficiencies. This enables more accurate forecasting, better alignment of resources, and fewer delays in the OR.
In addition to achieve world-class operations SPD and OR KPIs include eliminating non-compliance events, minimizing tray errors, ensuring all cases run on schedule, achieving 100% sterilization of instruments and availability of trays at the right place at the right time. AI will play a significant role in trying to achieve these north star metrics.
The Future of AI in the OR
The goal of adoption of any new innovative technology in healthcare and perioperative fields should aim to deliver excellent patient outcomes and the highest levels of care. AI has significant potential to accelerate these goals but its success hinges on developing highquality, domain-specific models that are easy to use, safe, and secure. Achieving this will require strong collaboration between technology providers, SPD, OR and surgical personnel to drive meaningful impact across the entire perioperative loop.
In the next few years, you can expect to see growing investments in AI, automation and other technologies to improve the standard of patient care.
Virtual Health Assistants, automated AI powered tracking of surgical instruments through RFID and smart sensors, leveraging data to provide deep predictive and prescriptive insights, predictive maintenance of equipment, staff scheduling and workflow optimization are some of the key areas where AI will have a significant impact.
At the same time, mitigating any data privacy and security concerns, ensuring compliance with regulations, creating confidence and trust amongst healthcare professionals, and improving data quality and standardization will be crucial in driving mass adoption of these tools across healthcare and perioperative functions. By doing so, AI has the potential to transform the way surgical operations are planned and executed in the future.
a leader in surgical asset management solutions that is solely focused on improving perioperative efficiency and quality. He joined Censis in March 2024 from his previous role as a Senior Director, Data Science and Engineering at The FORT, which is the AI and Innovation Center of Excellence at Fortive (parent company of Censis). Prior to Fortive, Harshil served in various technology roles of increasing complexity at Arrow Electronics, Oracle and Infosys.
– Harshil Goradia is the Chief Technology Officer at Censis,
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS ACHC
Connecting Regulatory Requirements to Care
By Amy Antonacci, MSN, RN
J
osephine is a vibrant wife, mother and grandmother. At seventy-eight, she walks three miles each day and does chair yoga twice a week with friends. She is in relatively good health, takes only a few medications, and sees her primary care physician twice annually. Josephine’s biggest health obstacle is her left hip, which causes her almost constant pain when walking and even when she is trying to sleep. It has started to negatively affect her ability to remain active. She has made the decision to have a total hip replacement and is excited about the prospect of returning to her usual physical activities.
Josephine’s hip replacement is scheduled in six weeks at the local hospital by an orthopedic surgeon who is on staff at the hospital. Let’s follow the links that connect CMS and ACHC requirements before, during, and after her surgery, to protect her rights as a patient and promote her safety.
BEFORE ADMISSION
Josephine’s physician has been on the medical staff at the hospital for 12
years (03.00.02 Periodic Appraisal of Members, 03.00.07 Duties and Responsibilities to Patients, 03.01.02 Medical Staff Bylaws: Approval by Governance, 03.01.15 Application and Reapplication Requirements, 03.15.01 Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation). Josephine sees her physician in an office visit 28 days before her surgery to review the surgical procedure and complete a history and physical examination (03.01.07 Medical staff bylaws: History and physical requirement). The office also schedules an appointment at the hospital’s perioperative clinic (18.00.05 Preanesthesia evaluation) to see the anesthesiologist who will evaluate her overall health status and develop the anesthesia plan for surgery.
PREOPERATIVE REGISTRATION
Josephine is anxious on the morning of her surgery. Her husband has dementia, so her daughter will be by her side as well. Josephine hopes she will be permitted to have them both with her whenever possible. A registrar provides Josephine with a copy of the hospital’s patient rights brochure (15.01.00 Notice of patient rights, 15.01.02 Notice and promotion of patient rights) and assures her that both her husband
and daughter can accompany her to the same day surgical area (15.01.12 Visitation rights). Once she is settled, a nurse meets with Josephine and her family to obtain important information. Josephine confirms her date of birth, and an identification bracelet is placed on her wrist (15.03.05 Identify patients correctly). The nurse asks her if she has a living will or durable power of attorney for health care; Josephine has both and provides copies (15.01.05 Advance Directives).
Josephine will sign an informed consent prior to entering the OR (30.00.11 Surgical Informed Consent) and her physician and anesthesiologist will update her H&P and review her pre-anesthesia evaluation to verify that her health status has not changed warranting a delay in surgery (18.00.15 Preanesthesia evaluation, 30.00.10 History and physical and update to the history and physical).
PERIOPERATIVE PROCEDURES
Soon enough, it’s time for Josephine’s surgery to begin. She’s unaware of all the hospital does to create a safe environment for her procedure. The space and equipment being used are all carefully managed (11.00.01 Physical environment, 11.01.02
Building safety, 11.04.01 Written fire control plans, 11.04.04 Approval by state and local fire agencies, 11.05.01 Medical equipment and systems: Maintenance, 11.06.03 Water management plan, 11.07.01 Adequate facilities and supplies, 11.07.03 Ventilation, light, and temperature controls).
The hospital also has taken significant steps to protect her from infection that can negatively affect her ability to recover quickly and smoothly. The hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Program includes every department Josephine and her family will interact with (07.00.00 Infection prevention and control and antibiotic stewardship). All cleaning processes for the physical environment, equipment, and surgical instruments, were reviewed and approved by the IPC Committee and align with nationally recognized guidelines (07.02.08 Surgical site infections, 07.04.01 Decontamination and sterilization policies, 07.04.07 Preparing, assembling, wrapping, storage, and distribution of sterile equipment and supplies, 07.05.02 High-risk cleaning procedures). The staff have been trained in proper techniques for hand hygiene (07.02.05 Hand washing guidelines) and the PPE (07.02.04 Personal protective equipment) that safeguards both patients and staff. Countless mitigation measures are in place to reduce the risk of Josephine acquiring an infection (07.02.01 Risk mitigation measures for infection prevention) and a multidisciplinary team conducts regular surveillance of the environment to validate the correct processes are followed (07.02.03 Environmental
surveillance).
Multiple surgeries are scheduled on the day of Josephine’s hip replacement, but Josephine’s and her family are focused on her personal well-being. Surgery represents a high intensity environment. There are many moving parts occurring simultaneously and each one is extremely important. That can create conditions conducive to potential error and this is why some of the most important steps for Josephine’s safety are about to occur. She will be cared for during surgery by a highlytrained team. Nurses and technicians with defined duties (30.00.03 Scrub nurse, 30.00.04 Circulating nurse) will assist and document during the procedure. Numerous required policies detail the processes that will ensure a standardized and safe procedure for Josephine (30.00.09 Standards of practice). Just before receiving anesthesia, Josephine will participate in a time-out (30.00.14 Operative site verification).
Josephine, her surgeon, and the entire surgical team, will pause all activity to verify that she is, in fact, Josephine, and to confirm the left hip as the operative site. This intentional time-out allows everyone, including Josephine, to validate that the surgical plan is completed on the correct anatomical side. Detailed documentation will be completed by her surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the clinical staff (30.00.19 Operative report, 18.00.06 Intraoperative anesthesia record).
POSTOPERATIVE PROCESS
Once the procedure is complete, Josephine will be transferred to the PACU and assessed and monitored by the staff and anesthesia
team (18.00.07 Post-anesthesia assessment, 30.00.17 Postoperative care, 30.02.03 Nursing care: Postanesthesia, 30.02.06 PACU required equipment, 30.02.13 PACU discharge criteria). Once she is ready for discharge from the PACU, she will be transferred to the hospital postoperative unit and her care will continue as additional regulatory requirements support her ongoing recovery.
Sometimes we have a negative outlook when it comes to “requirements” in health care. They seem cumbersome, difficult to operationalize or even unnecessary. If we shift perspective to consider these requirements from the patient’s point of view, they represent reassurance, focus and care. The partnership among hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, accrediting organizations like ACHC, and patients like Josephine, promotes standardization for excellence in patient care and outcomes. Almost everyone will be a patient at some point in their life. Let’s recommit to the important and necessary work that will ultimately support our care.
– Amy Antonacci, MSN, RN is a Standards Interpretation Specialist for acute care and critical access hospital accreditation with ACHC and serves as an ACHC Surveyor. Before joining ACHC in 2023, She spent 13 years as CNO for an acute care hospital with system-wide responsibility for two years. She has been a nurse for 35 years and has a passion for patient safety.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
AORN Updates Guideline for Sterilization Key Changes to Sterile Processing
By Susan Klacik, BS, CRCST, CIS, CHL, ACE, FCS
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has revised its Guideline for Sterilization , and the print version will be available in 2025.
The guideline provides recommendation for sterilizing reusable medical devices for use in perioperative and procedural settings.
The updated document reminds readers that sterility can be achieved with a variety of physical or chemical processes. The selection of the sterilization method depends on a number of factors, including device design, material, packaging, sterilant compatibility, load limitations, safety requirements, and organization-specific considerations. The most common sterilization methods used in health care in the U.S. are addressed in the guideline. Note: The document provides guidance only for sterilization processes commonly used in health care and currently cleared by the FDA.
The following are key changes incorporated into the revised guideline: Guideline 1.4.1 – a recommendation for the accessibility of written
manufacturer’s instructions for use (IFU) – has been expanded to include a pre-purchase section with recommendations about obtaining and reviewing the manufacturer’s IFU during the pre-purchase evaluation of a new reusable medical device. Key factors to consider include whether sterilization methods described in the IFU are feasible, available at the facility and compatible with existing sterilization equipment. It is also vital to ensure that personnel education needs are met.
Occasionally, a conflict can exist between the IFU from manufacturers of sterilization equipment, packaging and medical devices. Guideline 1.4.4 addresses this concern by recommending health care stakeholders contact the manufacturers of the products being used to request clarification, preferably in writing. If IFU conflicts cannot be reconciled, the recommendation is to follow the manufacturer’s IFU for the device being sterilized.
Medical device technologies continuously evolve, and the revised Guideline for Sterilization provides recommendations on how to respond to these changes. Among the most notable new technologies are devices produced by additive manufacturing such as 3D printing. Like other medical
devices, the devices should be sterilized according to the manufacturers’ IFU for the specific device, packaging and sterilization equipment. These devices are often provided to the health care facility unsterile for preoperative planning. The manufacturer should provide cleaning and sterilization instructions, even if the device is intended for single use. The manufacturer is also expected to use a validated process to remove residual manufacturing matter, such as excess material, support structures, or lubricant, before providing the final finished device to the end user.
Recommendations are also provided for experimental devices manufactured onsite at the facility that lack FDA-cleared, validated sterilization instructions in accordance with regulatory requirements. Cleaning and sterilization validation studies require numerous resources and expertise not available to health care facilities; therefore, a facility should establish a process for sterilizing experimental devices that are manufactured onsite at the facility and do not have FDAcleared, validated sterilization instructions.
The guideline’s section for sterilization processes describes methods for ensuring
decontamination and clean work areas remain separated. Recommendation 2.3.1 specifies a two-room sterile processing configuration with physical separation between the decontamination room and a clean workroom. Some surgery centers, however, only have a one-room design, and the guideline provides a conditional recommendation to safely process medical devices in such an environment. A one-room design has a decontamination and clean work area that uses a small or table-top sterilizer. Separation of the areas can be achieved with four feet between the instrument-washing sink (from the edge of the sink or separating wall or screen that extends four feet above the sink rim) and the clean preparation area. This revision aligns with the AORN Guideline for Design and Maintenance
Additionally, a new sterilization practice, called “short-cycle sterilization,” is addressed in the updated guideline. The abbreviated sterilization cycle relates to packaged items with a reduced dry-cycle
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time [this is a common practice in ophthalmology centers and is recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)]. In a memorandum, CMS clarified its position that they do not consider short-cycle sterilization to be equivalent to immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS). Note: The CMS definition of short-cycle sterilization only includes packaged items that are suitable for storage; items that are not packaged for storage would fall under their definition of IUSS
Further, the guideline includes recommendations about how to perform short-cycle sterilization. This includes ensuring that the medical device, packaging system and sterilizer manufacturer’s written IFU provide instructions for short-cycle sterilization or terminal sterilization. If the drying time is shortened, the health care organization should perform verification testing to demonstrate that the abbreviated time can produce dry packages as described in ANSI/AAMI ST8:2013/ (R)2018 Hospital steam sterilizers. Note: It is essential to recognize that if a
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shortened dry time is not specified in the manufacturer’s IFU, the organization is responsible for verifying that a shortened dry time can produce a dry package.
A new recommendation has also been added to the guideline’s LowTemperature Hydrogen Peroxide section to address load weight due to its effect on the sterilization process. Recommendation 6.2.3 states that the sterilizer manufacturer’s IFU should be followed for the maximum weight limit for each load and cycle type.
HSPA encourages all sterile processing departments and areas where device processing and sterilization occur to obtain the review the full Guideline for Sterilization and make it readily available to staff members.
For more information, visit www. aorn.org/guidelines-resources.
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS AAMI
Guidance on Hospital EO Use Revised
R egulatory and safety concerns are a pressing issue for hospital employees who use ethylene oxide (EO) to sterilize medical devices.
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) addresses these concerns with an update to its primary guidance on chemical sterilization and high-level disinfection in health care facilities.
ANSI/AAMI ST58:2024, Chemical sterilization and highlevel disinfection in health care facilities, is a revision of ANSI/AAMI ST58:2013/(R)2018 and is intended to supersede ANSI/AAMI ST41. The newest edition of ST58 applies to health care professionals in hospitals, labs and other facilities and includes new information on sterilization modalities such as ethylene oxide. Adopting and implementing ST58 will be critical to preventing healthcare-associated infections. With the update, it is now a comprehensive document that health care professionals can use to protect patients and demonstrate
conformance with best practices.
The update to ST58 comes at a pivotal time, as some pathogens have become resistant to high-level disinfectants, and medical device instructions for use (IFUs) have become more complex. The public debate over EO sterilization and alternative modalities also increases the salience of ST58.
Alpa Patel, director of scientific improvement at Nelson Laboratories and co-chair of AAMI’s Chemical Sterilants Hospital Practices Working Group said, “ST58 will help health care workers comply with the current recommendations and practices needed to process medical devices to keep patients safe, as the last time the standard was revised was in 2013. Ethylene oxide (EO) sterilization was added to the document with updated text and practices that replace outdated information in ANSI/AAMI ST41 and provide comprehensive information regarding safety, monitoring, and effective use of this method.”
The standard applies to liquid chemical sterilants, high-level
disinfectants and gaseous chemical sterilizers. It includes extensive information on ethylene oxide, glutaraldehyde, hydrogen peroxide and many other sterilization modalities. ST58 specifically addresses:
• How to select liquid chemical sterilization, high-level disinfection, and gaseous chemical sterilization systems
• Processing recommendations for facilities that clean and sterilize medical devices
• Transport and storage of sterilized and disinfected devices
• Quality control and quality process improvement
• Work area design for processing areas
• Safety considerations, including PPE, spill containment and storage
• Personnel considerations, including education, training and certification
Interested parties are encouraged to purchase a copy of ANSI/AAMI ST58:2024 on AAMI Array.
When it comes to outfitting your OR with essential equipment, the decisions you make can have a long-term impact on your facility’s effectiveness and budget. Capital equipment is a major investment, especially in highdemand settings like the OR where precision and reliability are critical. Whether you’re buying new, refurbished or exploring other alternatives, asking the right questions can ensure that you make informed decisions. This guide covers essential considerations when purchasing capital equipment, helping you navigate the process and explore all available options to maximize value for your facility.
1. What does the warranty actually cover?
A warranty can offer peace of mind,
but it’s crucial to understand its limitations. Ask detailed questions about what is and isn’t covered. For example, warranties for new equipment from the manufacturer might exclude glassware or high-cost components like X-ray tubes, CCD’s or image intensifiers in a C-arm. These exclusions could leave you with significant repair or replacement costs down the line. For those looking to balance protection and affordability, look at vendors like Soma Tech Intl who offer warranties covering the most critical components of refurbished medical equipment.
2. Are there any contracts tied to disposables and consumables?
When purchasing equipment, manufacturers may offer attractive pricing but tie the deal to a consumables or disposables contract. These contracts often require you to purchase a set quantity of items like tubing, filters, or electrodes over
time, regardless of your actual usage. For facilities with lower procedure volumes, this can lead to overspending on unnecessary inventory. Additionally, the cost of consumables is often where manufacturer’s recoup profits, so the long-term expense might outweigh the initial savings. Vendors like Soma Tech Intl provide flexibility by offering demo and refurbished equipment without binding disposable contracts, allowing facilities to purchase only what they need and save more time.
3. Has your facility explored all equipment options?
Capital equipment purchases require careful budgeting beyond the initial price tag. Consider the associated costs, such as installation, training, maintenance, and eventual upgrades. While new equipment seems like the default choice, refurbished equipment offers a way to stretch budgets without sacrificing quality or reliability with the right vendor. Refurbished options
can reduce initial costs significantly, allowing facilities to allocate resources to other critical areas such as staffing or training. Vendors like Soma Tech Intl specialize in providing refurbished equipment that meets OEM performance standards, giving facilities an opportunity to maximize value without compromising patient care.
Evaluating Third Party Vendor Expertise and Inventory
A reliable vendor should not only offer a range of high-quality options but also provide the guidance and support needed to make an informed decision. By evaluating a vendor’s experience, inventory, and ability to meet your specific needs, you can ensure your investment delivers the best value for your facility.
1. What refurbishment certifications and standards do they follow?
When selecting a refurbished equipment vendor, it’s essential to know what certifications and standards they follow. Ask if the vendor meets ISO 13485:2016, a certification indicating compliance with internationally recognized medical device quality management standards. This certification is demanding: it involves comprehensive audits, meticulous record-keeping, and a commitment to continuous improvements. Companies that meet these standards have demonstrated their dedication to safety, quality, and reliability. A trusted vendor like Soma Tech Intl maintains these standards as a core part of their refurbishment process, reinforcing their commitment
to delivering safe, high-quality medical devices.
2. What level of testing and quality control is involved?
Not all refurbished equipment is created equal, so understanding the testing and quality control involved is key to making sure the equipment will meet your facility’s needs. In a comprehensive refurbishment process, equipment should undergo initial inspection, functionality testing, component replacement, calibration and final quality assurance checks. For example, at Soma Tech Intl, the equipment is tested down to the circuit board level with parts replaced and calibrations adjusted to meet OEM standards. This rigorous process helps ensure that each piece of equipment performs reliably and consistently. To add transparency, some vendors, like Soma, provide a final engineering report detailing the test results, so you can confidently verify that the equipment meets necessary performance standards.
3. Do the vendor’s sales representatives provide knowledgeable guidance and support?
A knowledgeable sales team can make the purchasing process smoother and more efficient by helping facilities identify the right equipment for their specific needs. Experienced representatives understand the unique requirements of O.R. staff, from workflow optimization to compatibility with existing systems. Working with a brand-agnostic vendor like Soma Tech Intl offers additional
advantages, as their team can provide unbiased recommendations based on a wide selection of equipment from multiple manufacturers. This approach allows facilities to easily compare options and choose equipment that aligns with their clinical and budgetary goals. With access to one of the largest inventories in the industry, Soma Tech Intl’s sales team is well-equipped to guide you every step of the way, ensuring you make informed decisions tailored to your facility’s needs.
Making an Informed Decision
Choosing capital medical equipment is a significant decision that requires balancing clinical needs, financial considerations, and vendor reliability. By asking the right questions, you can navigate the process confidently and ensure that the equipment you purchase delivers long-term value.
For those exploring refurbished options, working with a trusted vendor like Soma Tech Intl can make the process seamless. Refurbished equipment provides an opportunity to access high-quality devices at a fraction of the cost, and is still backed by warranties, service contracts, and a commitment to quality. Soma Tech Intl’s expertise and extensive inventory make us a reliable partner in outfitting your OR with cost-effective solutions tailored to your needs.
Ready to learn more about your options? Contact Soma Tech Intl for guidance on capital equipment purchases and explore how refurbished solutions can fit into your facility’s strategy.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS NIFA
Finding Partners
By James X. Stobinski, Ph.D, RN, CNOR, CSSM(E), CNAMB(E)
I have made several recent road trips through rural America in the Southwest and upper Midwest. In those travels I often see rural hospitals in relatively small cities. As someone who writes about American health care this gives me pause to consider the financial health and stability of these facilities and their place within their communities. In many smaller cities these facilities face large challenges, and their continued existence may require joining a larger system. But not all the rural facilities will have access to that lifeline.
The consulting firm Kaufman Hall, as reported by Condon 1 states that, “Many health systems are expanding into new geographic areas to diversify their portfolios, strengthen bargaining power and pursue further economies of scale.” Kaufman Hall expects that large systems will continue to adjust their portfolios of hospitals to balance their strategic needs with the needs of the communities they serve. 1 Condon, in another article, details such activity by HCA, Tenet, CHS and UHS which are
among the largest health systems in the country. 2 The buying and selling of hospitals, mergers and acquisitions and the realignment of facilities is a weekly occurrence in American health care. But there is a lingering issue in this trend for many rural facilities.
The Kaufman Hall staff report that despite the overall brisk rate of merger and consolidation activity, “… some organizations that face financial challenges are struggling to find a partner.” This could be precisely the issue for some rural facilities which may desperately need to be acquired but the facility is not financially attractive. A facility serving a sparsely populated area which is remote from the larger facilities in a health care system is not an attractive merger candidate. There are less options for survival for these facilities. A transition to a critical access facility, cutting services and then eventual closure are real possibilities. Reports from authors such as Andrew Cass, writing in Becker’s Healthcare Review , regularly list facilities closing and cutting services and many of these are rural facilities. 3 The net result of this activity is that these rural sites, when lacking comprehensive health care facilities, may become less attractive places to live and
have difficulty fostering economic development. Rural counties which lack OB/GYN providers and labor and delivery units are not desirable for young families. Difficulty attracting staff and decreasing birthrates exacerbate these issues. These maternity deserts are common in states with large rural areas. As Melillo reports, these deficits contribute to relatively poor maternal mortality rates for our country.
Access to care is not only a consideration for young families. PRB, a nonpartisan research organization, provides data on another stakeholder in the access to care issue – older Americans. The number of Americans aged 65 or older will increase by 47% by 2050 to 85 million to reach 23% of the entire U.S. population. In 2022 the median age in this country was 38.9 years and that will continue to rise. The percentage of this group living in poverty has steadily decreased and those with some form of health insurance has markedly increased. As we age we tend to use health services more and the availability of health care, especially for chronic conditions, is an important consideration. The lack of even a small community-based hospital may drive away or keep away older citizens.
The availability of health care in rural communities will influence demographic shifts and impact the financial viability of these regions.
The availability of health care in rural communities will influence demographic shifts and impact the financial viability of these regions. Prioritizing access to care in rural areas is an expensive proposition and a low priority in American health care. However, not addressing rural health care has its own costs beyond just health care expenditures.
– James X. Stobinski, Ph.D., RN, CNOR, CSSM(E), CNAMB(E), is a senior perioperative consultant with National Institute of First Assisting (NIFA).
References
1. Condon, A. (October 3, 2024). Hospital M&A accelerates, but some “struggling to find a partner”: Kaufman Hall . https:// www.beckershospitalreview.
4. Melillo, G. (2020, December 3). US ranks worst in maternal care, mortality compared with 10 other developed nations. AJMC . https://www. ajmc.com/view/us-ranks-worstin-maternal-care-mortalitycompared-with-10-otherdeveloped-nations
5. Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States. (January 9, 2024). PRB. https://www.prb.org/resources/ fact-sheet-aging-in-the-unitedstates/
UltraSAFE
UltraSAFE is an innovative instrument for large biospecimens which allows Perioperative Nurses to handle Pathology specimens in complete safety, with no exposure to formalin fumes. Through the one-way valve lid, UltraSAFE automatically dispenses formalin into specimen buckets utilizing an automatic injection system. The buckets are filled in an enclosed and vented chamber that eliminates operator exposure to formalin fumes. Formalin is dispensed based on specimen weight and specific lab guidelines. Time to fixation, weight of specimen, and exact formalin quantity are recorded on a printed label to ensure standardized documentation.
HOW IT WORKS
In the OR, place the surgical bio-specimen in an empty bucket.
Snap the lid, with the oneway sealing valve, onto the bucket.
Scan the bucket, then Case ID for identification purposes. Place the bucket into the chamber and press “Start” on the screen. 3
DO BETTER by eliminating the costs associated with formalin spills
by
Top Questions from the Perioperative Community Key Insights from 2024 Conferences
By Dawn Whiteside, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, RNFA
As 2025 begins, all of us at the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI) want to extend our gratitude to everyone who connected with us at conferences throughout the year. Meeting the perioperative community face-to-face gave us invaluable opportunities to share insights, address key questions, and engage in meaningful conversations. In this column, we’re excited to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions, making these insights available to our entire community.
There were some uncertainties about the role of some of our certifications. Our primary perioperative certifications include, certified perioperative nurse, which is not an acronym, (CNOR), Certified Surgical Services Manager (CSSM), Certified Ambulatory Surgery Nurse (CNAMB), and Certified Foundational Perioperative Nurse (CFPN). All four of these credentials are Magnet recognized.
The Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) credential is the only accredited certification for perioperative registered nurses. CNOR certification assesses the knowledge and skills of a perioperative nurse with a minimum of two years of clinical practice. Held by more than 40,000 nurses internationally, earning the CNOR is a mark of distinction and demonstrates a
commitment to upholding the highest standards in patient safety. The CNOR credential is held for five years when recertification is required.
Are you required to have manager in your title to be eligible for CSSM?
Certified Surgical Services Manager (CSSM) certification is the only credential for perioperative nurse managers, directors, and leaders who oversee personnel, a budget, business unit, or service line. This role also includes those who perform the duties of charge nurse, team leader, and educator. It is not required to have manager in your title to be eligible for the CSSM. Given the confusion that is often caused using the term Manager in the title, CCI is working with a team of SMEs to help determine ways to clarify the requirements for the credential. We look forward to sharing those updates later this year. CSSM certification validates the achievement of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse who demonstrates current proficiency in a perioperative leadership role. It is not required to have a CNOR prior to seeking CSSM certification. The difference between those nurses that already have a CNOR certification is a decrease in the required number of years of work experience in a leadership role and course work content specific to the domains of the CSSM Job Analysis, either contact hours or professional development points activities. Earning the CSSM is a mark of distinction and recognizes the important role perioperative leaders play in delivering
safe patient care. The CSSM credential is held for three years when recertification is required.
What is the difference between CNOR and CNAMB?
Certified Ambulatory Surgery Nurse (CNAMB) certification is designed for perioperative nurses working in the ambulatory surgery setting who are seeking to improve and validate their professional competencies. The CNAMB certification assesses the knowledge and skills of a perioperative nurse with a minimum of two years of clinical practice in the ambulatory surgery setting. Earning the certification is a mark of distinction and recognizes the important role nurses play in delivering safe patient care. The primary difference between CNOR, usually non-ambulatory setting, and CNAMB is how the content from the job analysis is weighted. For example, a nurse that works in ambulatory surgery, according to the ambulatory surgery nurse volunteers that participated in the job analysis, spend 12% of their time performing a preoperative plan of care compared to 8% in a non-ambulatory setting. The CNAMB also has a category, Postoperative/Transfer of Care (10%), that is not specifically called out for the CNOR subject areas. For this category, the percentages are representative of content on the certification exam. See diagrams for full comparison. The CNAMB is held for three years when recertification is required.
What is CFPN?
The newest of CCIs accredited certifications is the Certified Foundational Perioperative Nurse (CFPN). The CFPN credential is designed to give perioperative nurses a firm foundation for career-long professional development success. CFPN assesses the knowledge and skills of an early career perioperative nurse with under 23-months of experience from the initial hire date in the OR. As soon as the nurse completes the facility orientation process, they are eligible to sit for the knowledge-based exam, providing they haven’t reached the 24-months of experience making them ineligible. Earning this credential provides nurses with a firm foundation for career-long professional development success and provides a fast track to CNOR and CNAMB. A nurse that has earned the CFPN credential is eligible to take the CNOR or CNAMB at 18 months instead of waiting the full 24-months. Nurses are no longer eligible for CFPN once they reach the 24-month experience mark. There is an option of a 1-year extension for the CFPN if the nurse needs more time to prepare for the next credential but wants to maintain an accredited certification.
Does Magnet recognize your certifications?
The requirement to be eligible for Magnet recognition is having a board certification that is accredited. The two organizations that are recognized include the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
According to NCCA, “Accreditation for professional or personnel certification programs provides impartial, third-party validation that your program has met recognized national and international credentialing industry standards for development, implementation and maintenance of certification programs.” Similarly, ABSNC defines certification as the documented validation of the professional achievement of identified standards of practice by an individual registered nurse providing care for patients before, during and after surgery. Each website has a list of accredited organizations along with the credentials that are accredited. CCIs credentials are accredited by one or both organizations.
CCI extends its heartfelt thanks to the perioperative community for your continued support. We also want to ex-
press our deep appreciation for the dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the accuracy and relevance of our job analyses, recertification activities, exam content and more. These volunteers make much of our work possible, and their countless hours of commitment play a key role in validating practice standards through our multiple specialty certifications.
In collaboration with the DAISY Foundation, CCI is proud to recognize exceptional leadership in the field of nursing. The DAISY Nurse Leader Award for Extraordinary Nurses-CCI is part of the prestigious DAISY Award program and represents CCI’s highest recognition of clinical leadership. This award, managed by CCI’s Board of Directors’ Recognition Committee, is presented each spring at the AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo.
Starting January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025, CCI will accept nominations for the 2026 award. We encourage you to share stories of perioperative nurse leaders whose volunteerism with CCI or clinical practice has made a significant impact on the delivery of perioperative care. Eligible nominees include RNs with current CCI certifications who have also volunteered with CCI.
Stay connected with the latest updates from CCI by visiting our website’s News tab, where you’ll find newsletters, articles, blogs, and social media posts.
– Dawn Whiteside,
DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, RNFA is the Director of Education and Professional Development of the Competency & Credentialing Institute.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS news
& notes
AAAHC Announces New Board Officers and Elected Directors
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) has announced its new board officers and two elected directors. The 2024-2025 Board, comprising leaders from diverse areas of ambulatory health care, will advance AAAHC’s mission of improving health care quality through accreditation. With the support of its new leadership, AAAHC continues to reinforce its1095 Strong, quality every day philosophy to drive quality improvement (QI) initiatives across the ambulatory health care landscape.
“With the election of these new leaders, AAAHC remains committed to advancing patient and team safety and quality improvement across the ambulatory health care continuum,” said Noel Adachi, president and CEO of AAAHC. “Their diverse experience and leadership will encourage and assist ambulatory health care organizations to provide the highest achievable level of care.”
The new board officers’ one-year terms began Nov. 17. While board members bring varied backgrounds, they share a common history of dedication to the provision of health care in the ambulatory setting.
• Joy Himmel, Psy.D, LCPC, NCC, RN, FACHA, Board Chair, is the first licensed behavioral health provider elected as AAAHC Board Chair, the sixth female Board Chair, and the third college health professional elected to the position in the organization’s history.
• Steven Butz, MD, Board Chair-Elect, practices pediatric anesthesiology in the Milwaukee area. He holds board certifications in anesthesia and pediatric anesthesia by the American Board of Anesthesiology. He is a professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin where he
acts as medical director of the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Surgicenter.
• Jan Davidson, MSN, RN, CNOR, Immediate Past Board Chair, has worked as a perioperative registered nurse for more than 40 years. In addition to her OR experience in a large metropolitan trauma center, Davidson has served as clinical director of a free-standing ambulatory surgery center.
Additionally, Lawrence Kim, MD, will serve the second year of his second two-year term as AAAHC Secretary/Treasurer
The two elected directors, whose three-year terms will expire in 2027, also assumed their positions Nov. 17. Together they bring decades of experience in ambulatory care and health care management:
• Keith Anderson, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with more than 30 years’ experience providing behavioral health services in a primary care/student health setting. During those years, he was engaged in activities that are consistent with the profession of a psychologist: teaching, research and practice. He is also an AAAHC surveyor and has been a member of the organization’s Engaged Constituency since 2020. He is a Fellow of the ACHA and served as a board member for many years and vice president from 2013-2015.
• Valerie Kiefer, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, elected for a second three-year term on the board with more than 40 years of experience in health care, which includes critical care, emergency transport as a flight nurse paramedic, special procedures, internal medicine, primary care and college health.
For more information about AAAHC leadership, visit www.aaahc.org/BOD24/.
Mölnlycke Health Care, Operation Smile Change Lives with Cleft Care Center
The Cebu Comprehensive Cleft Care Center of Excellence is now officially inaugurated. This milestone is a result of the longstanding partnership between Mölnlycke and Operation Smile – a global non-profit charity organization. The center will bring comprehensive care to people born with a cleft lip or palate (CLP) in the region and is expected to serve 10,000 patients in the first three years of its operations.
The incidence of babies born with cleft lip and cleft palate is higher in South-East Asia than in other regions globally. The new clinic will offer life-changing surgeries and comprehensive cleft care to patients in the region where access to health care services is difficult.
“The support from Mölnlycke in establishing the center is grounded in our commitment to ensure equitable access to health care for all and the vision we have for achieving sustainable health care. A part of this vision is making the center self-sufficient, and that includes raising the level of knowledge of the local health care professionals in the areas where Mölnlycke can offer expertise,” comments Eric de Kesel, COO & EVP Sustainability, Mölnlycke. “Cleft patients continue to be stigmatised and we
are delighted to be able to contribute to changing their lives and fully including them in society,” he adds.
“This clinic is a milestone for us, but also for cleft care globally, as it is also a training hub. In a rather lengthy construction project, our partner Mölnlycke has supported us financially while, in parallel with the construction, we have jointly created and rolled out a training program with innovative methods and solutions,” says Emiliano Romano, Executive Director, Operation Smile Philippines. “Together with some of our volunteers, clinical specialists from Mölnlycke are training the local health care professionals in areas such as infection prevention.”
The Cebu Comprehensive Cleft Care Center of Excellence is located at the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) hospital, in the Philippines. It is a stateof-the-art facility providing an optimal environment for delivering comprehensive CLP services, including speech therapy, dental and psychosocial care — in addition to the areas supporting the surgical flow, in alignment with the vision of surgical care that
OTTAVA Robotic Surgical System Receives IDE Approval
Johnson & Johnson MedTech, a global leader in cardiovascular, orthopaedic, surgery and vision solutions, has announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the OTTAVA robotic surgical system investigational device exemption (IDE), which allows the clinical trial to begin at U.S. sites. The company will now prepare clinical trial sites to receive OTTAVA systems, enroll patients and begin surgical cases.
Johnson & Johnson MedTech is building on its global portfolio of surgical technologies to advance OTTAVA and help surgical teams and hospitals provide more patients with the benefits of robotic surgery. The system is designed to address unmet needs that persist in robotic surgery today, while driving choice and competition in an underpenetrated and high-growth market.
“We are bringing the best of J&J MedTech’s surgery expertise to the OTTAVA system and taking a holistic view of the science of surgery to enable new experiences across all surgical modalities in service of patients around the world,” said Hani Abouhalka, company group chairman, surgery, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. “Meeting this milestone brings us a step closer to delivering on our promise to make technology more human, care more adaptive, and people more connected so that surgery works better for everyone.”
“We are excited about reaching this important milestone and progressing our differentiated general surgery robotic platform for the benefit of patients and surgeons,” said Rocco De Bernardis, president, OTTAVA, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. “With approval to move to clinical investigation, our teams are focused on training clinical trial investigators and teams as they enroll patients and prepare for cases.”
The OTTAVA System is designed to set a new standard for
the modern operating room (OR) and transform the surgical experience. The system’s unique unified architecture, surgical instrumentation powered by Ethicon expertise, and Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s digital ecosystem are intended to provide versatility to meet the needs of each patient’s care and each surgeon’s clinical approach.
The OTTAVA system features four, low-profile robotic arms incorporated into the operating table that can be stowed underneath. This unified architecture allows for a compact footprint designed to support robotic, laparoscopic, hybrid and open surgery with more working space for clinical teams.
The system’s architecture supports clinically relevant features like “twin motion,” in which the table and robotic arms move together for intraoperative repositioning and multiquadrant access without re-docking.
The OTTAVA system will exclusively feature surgeontrusted Ethicon instrumentation, designed for performance and precision and a more consistent experience between traditional laparoscopic and robotic procedures. Ethicon instruments designed for OTTAVA are backed by decades of innovation and market leadership in minimally invasive surgery, providing leading device-to-tissue and user-to-device interactions.
Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s Polyphonic digital ecosystem will connect the portfolio across world-class surgical technologies, robotics and surgical software while leveraging the global scale of Johnson & Johnson. In the future, Polyphonic will empower OTTAVA with data and advanced insights that will support clinical decision making, learning, and collaboration.
The OTTAVA robotic system is under development and is not authorized to be marketed or sold in any market.
Surgical Video System Earns Cybersecurity Certification
KARL STORZ has announced that the IMAGE1 S CONNECT II camera control unit has earned certification to UL 2900-2-1 through the UL Cybersecurity Assurance Program. UL 2900-2-1 is a national consensus standard published by the American National Standards Institute and recognized by the FDA as a path to fulfilling the agency’s cybersecurity testing recommendations for medical devices.
“Certification to the UL 2900 series of standards is the highest recognition of cybersecurity due diligence and helps demonstrate that a product or system is secure to modern standards,” said Christy Gaudet from KARL STORZ United States. “This certification is important for purchasers who want to mitigate risks by sourcing products validated by a trusted third party.” “IMAGE1 S is the first and only surgical camera system to achieve this certification.”
IMAGE1 S is a modular, scalable endoscopic imaging platform that allows users to add functionality as needed. The CONNECT II camera control unit is the heart of the system, enabling separate modules for working with rigid and flexible endoscopes in HD, 4K, 3D, and NIR/ICG imaging modes. It’s a vital component of the industry-leading OR integration solutions provided by KARL STORZ.
& notes
“Designed for modularity and backward and forward compatibility, IMAGE1 S gives users the confidence of knowing their surgical imaging equipment reflects the latest technical advances,” said Gaudet. “ULCAP certification gives them the further confidence of knowing their equipment has been rigorously tested against the latest cyberthreats — a major concern for health care network administrators.”
ULCAP certification is part of a longstanding effort at KARL STORZ to meet the most stringent cybersecurity requirements. Last year, KARL STORZ became the first provider of OR integration solutions to receive an Authorization to Operate (ATO) from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Health Agency (DHA). The company’s flagship OR integration products cleared extensive IT security and privacy controls and was deemed secure within certain deployment parameters for operation in military hospitals, clinics and medical facilities.
“Cybersecurity isn’t an afterthought at KARL STORZ, it’s an integral part of our design process,” Gaudet said. “The risks of a cyberattack — particularly in terms of cost and disruptions to care — are simply too great to ignore.”
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If you are not a current AORN member, a 1-year membership will be included with your AORN Expo 2025 registration. Discover the power of community and education all year long!
SECURE YOUR SPOT TODAY: aorn.org/surgical-expo
Guide to the Global Surgical Conference & Expo
AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2025 is set to take place in one of America’s most enlightened cities – Boston, Massachusetts.
April 5-8, 2025, perioperative nurses and health care professionals from around the world will come together for four days of dynamic learning, collaboration and inspiration.
This year’s theme: “Together We Rise”, embodies the unity and collective commitment of perioperative professionals to elevate patient care and the art and science of surgical nursing.
What is Expo 2025?
AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo is the world’s largest perioperative conference uniting nurses and leaders from around the world for four days
filled with education, inspiring guest speakers, advanced research, hands-on workshops, networking and more.
Whether you’re attending for the first time or you’re a seasoned attendee, this conference promises an unparalleled opportunity to expand your knowledge, network with industry leaders and engage with groundbreaking surgical innovations that will shape the future of perioperative care.
Here’s what’s in store:
• A dynamic four-day event covering a wide range of topics from specialized practices to broader health care issues. Hear from the top minds and leaders in the OR to discover the future of perioperative care.
• Engaging educational sessions with the opportunity to gain up to 200 contact hours with access to cutting edge
evidence-based research.
• Hands-on workshops and interactive experiences to improve your performance in and out of the operating room – ensuring you and your team can deliver the highest quality of care.
• Career advancement with mentor opportunities, networking events and increased visibility in the perioperative community.
INSPIRING SPEAKERS
Each day at AORN Expo offers a full schedule of educational and networking activities. Highlights include educational speaking sessions from some of the most innovative thinkers in health care and perioperative nursing, each offering unique insights into the future of nursing, health care and perioperative leadership.
Keynote Speakers
• Shola Richards
CEO & Founder, Go Together Global
• Marisa Hamamoto
Transformational Movement Artist, Speaker and Changemaker
• Phil Hansen
Multimedia Artist, Speaker, Author and Innovator
Educational Sessions
AORN Expo 2025 will feature a plethora of the brightest and most innovative minds in perioperative care. Here’s a quick look at what’s in store:
• Ruth Shumaker, RN, BSN, CNOR - “Are You a Perioperative or OR Nurse?”
Ruth will guide nurses through the important distinctions between perioperative and operating room roles, emphasizing how embracing the title “perioperative nurse” fosters professional growth and unity across nursing specialties.
• Louie Ang, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, NPD-BC, CNORSURG-OB - “To Infinity and Beyond: Advancing Perioperative Nursing Through Technology”
Louie delves into cutting-edge technology transforming perioperative practice, from AI-driven training to robotic systems, and reveals how leveraging these tools enhances patient care and optimizes workflows.
• Marissa Tierney, RN, MSN, PCNS-BC, CCRN“From Chaos to Control: The Power of a Code Team Response to Intraoperative Emergencies”
Learn strategies for establishing a formal code team to ensure high-quality resuscitation during surgical events, using data-driven improvements to enhance patient outcomes and team cohesion.
AORN’s Comprehensive Educational Tracks
To meet the diverse needs of attendees, AORN Expo offers specialized education tracks designed to provide targeted learning experiences for nurses at every career stage:
• Leadership Summit: Gain full access to managementfocused sessions and exclusive networking activities, along with all the benefits of the full conference.
• Ambulatory Hub: Gain access to specialized education sessions and networking opportunities tailored to outpatient surgery professionals.
• General Surgical Conference: Enjoy in-person access to all main conference education and activities, plus on-demand streaming for ultimate flexibility.
Exclusive Leadership Summit
The Leadership Summit is a highly anticipated conference within the larger AORN Expo experience, offering a platform for both emerging and established
April 5-8, 2025
leaders to explore the business and management aspects of perioperative nursing.
Attendees can expect sessions led by thought leaders who specialize in empowering nurse leaders and addressing current industry challenges. Here’s a snapshot of what to expect:
• Leader-focused educational sessions tailored to enhance leadership skills
• Exclusive networking lounge dedicated to Leadership Summit attendees to share similar professional challenges and solutions.
• Complimentary breakfast and lunch for attendees to network informally
• Award-winning leadership posters showcasing innovative practices and research
• On-demand recordings of sessions for future reference
• Ambulatory leadership track featuring sessions that address the unique needs of leaders in ASCs and outpatient surgery settings.
The Expo Hall: A Hub for Innovation
One of the most anticipated events at AORN Expo is the exhibit hall experience. As one of the largest surgical trade shows in the country AORN Expo sees upwards of 8,000 attendees every year.
Attendees can participate in product demos, learn about new solutions to critical challenges and earn additional contact hours through in-booth educational presentations.
The Power of Networking
AORN Expo 2025 has been designed with multiple networking opportunities
to ensure attendees can establish meaningful connections.
Whether you’re connecting with peers at a special reception, mingling in the first-time attendee lounge, or discussing ideas in the international lounge, networking is a vital part of the AORN Expo experience. Some standout networking events include:
• First-Time Attendee Reception & Lounge
• Young Professional, Specialty Assembly, and Chapter Meet Ups
• International Lounge for Global Attendees
• Speed Mentoring
• Volunteer Activities
• Poster Author Meet and Greet
• Expo Hall Opening Reception
Boston, Massachusetts
we’re on instagram!
IN THE OR market analysis
Infection Prevention Market is Booming
Staff report
G rand View Research reports that the global infection control market size was valued at $214 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% over the forecast period from 2023 to 2030. The market is primarily driven by an increasing number of surgical and clinical procedures that intensively require infection prevention. The high preference is presumed to be a consequence of positive clinical outcomes associated with using infection control. The COVID-19 pandemic has positively impacted market growth as the demand for sterilization and disinfection in hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical and medical device companies has increased.
An increase in outsourcing sterilization services and the introduction of advanced sterilizing solutions are contributing to the growth of the market for infection control. One of the important growth drivers is the increasing number of government initiatives to ensure highly intensive infection prevention. Government organizations are increasingly involved in issuing guidelines to promote awareness and efficient prevention measures globally, which is expected to contribute to market growth throughout the forecast period. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines for preventing and controlling pandemic- and epidemic-prone acute respiratory diseases in healthcare. The guidelines range from standard precautions such as hand hygiene and usage of personal protective equipment to guidelines for disinfection and sterilization.
According to the statistics published by WHO, Acute Respiratory Diseases (ARDs) are one of the major causes of high mortality rates globally. Approximately 4.0 million deaths occur every year due to ARDs. The statistics mentioned above exemplify the high need for stringent prevention and control. Diseases such as pneumonia and infections such as the bloodstream, urinary tract, surgical site, and MRSA constitute most hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Other major HAIs include catheterassociated urinary tract infections, ventilatorassociated pneumonia and catheter-related bloodstream. One of the utmost concerns for the market is HAIs, which affect patient recovery; thereby, mortality rates are impacted globally.
According to a practical guide published by the WHO on preventing hospital-acquired infections, the increase in hospitalization duration with surgical infections was approximately eight days. These prolonged stays are predicted to significantly contribute to the overall costs incurred during the hospitalization period, thus, raising the clinical urgency for adopting infection prevention measures. It is presumed that prolonged hospital stay is also not economical for the hospitals and health care payers due to excessive usage of resources to treat the acquired infection. These additional costs are majorly generated through increased usage of drugs, additional diagnostic studies, and laboratory equipment, creating a resource allocation imbalance.
The infection control market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $51.0 billion in 2024 and is poised to reach $69.2 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 6.3 percent from 2024 to 2029 according to a report by MarketsandMarkets.
The infection control market has grown as a result of many drivers, including rising
healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antibiotic resistance drive demand for innovative solutions. Aging populations with weakened immune systems, coupled with an increase in complex surgeries and minimally invasive procedures, create fertile ground for infection risks.
Technological advancements like automation, artificial intelligence (AI) in disinfection robots, and nanotechnologybased antimicrobial surfaces offer promising solutions. Sustainability is gaining traction, with eco-friendly disinfectants and reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) gaining favor. Furthermore, growing awareness of occupational hazards in healthcare settings fuels demand for safer equipment and training. This dynamic market is poised for continued growth, driven by the relentless pursuit of preventing infections and safeguarding public health.
The market growth of infection control is significantly boosted by advancements in sterilization equipment technology. These innovations enhance efficiency and efficacy in sterilization processes, meeting rising demands for infection prevention across various industries. As technology evolves, businesses can access more sophisticated solutions, driving market expansion and improving overall infection control standards.
Furthermore, the infection control industry is growing as the number of surgical operations increases. With surgical interventions becoming more common, there’s a heightened need for stringent infection prevention measures. This surge in surgical activities drives the demand for infection control products and services. As health care facilities strive to maintain sterile environments, the market expands to meet the increasing requirements, fostering business opportunities within the industry.
Cygnus Medical
SingleCycle Surgical Instrument Transport Containers and Biohazard Labels
SingleCycle Containers allow you to label instruments correctly, and transport instruments safely. They are single-use, biodegradable, puncture and leak-resistant, and meet AAMI, HSPA and AORN Standards. SingleCycle IT Trays are autoclavable. SingleCycle EC Trays (with Enhanced Coating) can be used with enzymatic detergent. They preserve humidity inside the containers during long delays, preventing protein adhesion on instruments, and enabling faster, more thorough reprocessing in decontamination.
Learn more at cygnusmedical.com or 800-990-7489
Healthmark, a Getinge Company SafeStep ATP Monitor
HAIs, healthcare-associated infections continue to flourish, despite dedicated efforts to reduce them, potentially compromising patient and staff safety throughout facility. Biofilm, bioburden and contaminants can be found everywhere from the CSSD to the OR. Everything – from a light, in an operating room; a partition curtain or chair in a patient room; a clipboard, exam glove or an endoscope can be invisibly hazardous and pose a potential threat.
Is it clean?
The SafeStep ATP Monitor verifies the cleanliness of surfaces, endoscopes and cannulated instruments in just 15 seconds. By detecting ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – the energy molecule found in all humans, animals, plants, bacteria, yeast and mold cells. SafeStep gives you the testing power to minimize HAIs and improve patient and staff safety!
For more information go to hmark.com or 1-800-521-6224.
Medline Vantex Central Venous Catheter with Oligon Technology
Medline’s Vantex Central Venus Catheter (CVC) has been on the market for over 20 years and features patented, broad-spectrum, antimicrobial technology that reduces risks of colonization to improve patient safety and help prevent costly central lineassociated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). The Oligon Technology inside and outside of the catheter is comprised of silver, platinum and carbon black; which allows for a time-released antimicrobial for maximum efficacy during indwelling period. The 2020 ASA Practice Guidelines for CVC insertion recommend the use of silver/ platinum/carbon-impregnated catheters over uncoated catheters for most effective CLABSI risk reduction. The Vantex CVC meets ASA guidelines using time-release silver ions extruded throughout the body of the catheter, internally and externally, to decrease risk of catheter-related blood stream infection (CRBSI). A link to that full study is below. Along with the clinical benefits of this product, Medline designed this product intuitively to include features such as: a pressure-rated catheter, pre-attached needleless valves to save clinicians time during setup, a soft tip catheter to reduce the risk of vessel perforation, clear extension lumens for better fluid path visualization, and easy-to-read lumen identification and gauge size on color-coded hubs. Learn more at medline.com/infectionprevention/antimicrobial-central-venous-catheter/.
Ruhof CleanRead Contamination Monitoring System
For the cleaning verification of surgical instruments, endoscopes, and surfaces, Ruhof’s CleanRead Contamination Monitoring System is a cloud-based cleaning monitoring system used to help hospitals and other health care organizations achieve optimal standardized cleaning levels. By detecting Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), found in various cells including human, animal, plant, bacteria, yeast, and mold cells, the system identifies residues like blood and bioburden, which contain significant ATP levels. After cleaning, ATP levels should notably decrease.
Advanced features of CeanRead include smart handheld mobile platform, Wi-Fi connectivity, infinite users and test points, customizable dashboard, RFID and barcode reader, user friendly interface and more. The system enables staff to achieve continuous improvements in every department including endoscopy, sterile processing, OR, environmental services, etc.
For more information visit ruhof.com
procedures for the first time, while also experiencing expanded adoption of advanced robotic technology in operating rooms around the globe. Specializing in surgical patient positioning, Innovative Medical Products, Inc., covers all these advancements. The positioning equipment provides another “pair of hands” to increase efficiency and convenience for the surgeon and surgical team.
facilities are insisting on maintaining consistency in training and how they approach procedures, they need a new solution to overcome the limited resources in smaller facilities.
The De Mayo Adapt2Fit™ Modular Knee Positioner, which solves these pain points with a two-piece baseplate that quickly separates the positioner down to half of its overall length, has created an instant impact in the OR, creating several benefits for the surgeon and their facility. When stored in its SteriPod Filtered Sterile
and resources.
Shown: Adapt2Fit® stored in Filtered Sterilization Container
In effort to accommodate longer patient leg lengths and overcome the space constraints, IMP designed the Adapt2Fit to be the longest positioner on the market, when assembled. The result is that the Adapt2Fit is a full 2-7” longer than previous models. The increased positioner length provides more surface area for full flexion and extension of the knee, without moving the baseplate.
Universal Distractor® 2.0
The De Mayo Knee Positioner’s redesigned carriage and locking system delivers on both easy removal and improved holding power, helping to make knee surgeries easier for all types of cases, including bariatric. The patented ball and socket design provides the surgeon with more precise control of flexion, extension, tilt, and rotation.
Robotic Surgery Requires Improved Limb Stability and Access to the Knee Joint
The introduction of robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery offers greater value of the De Mayo Knee Positioner due to its ability to increase limb stability during total knee procedures, when used with robotic systems from companies
such as Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Smith + Nephew, and CUREXO.
All De Mayo Knee Positioners use a boot to secure the leg to the positioner. The posterior side of the boot includes a distractor block for use with our De Mayo Universal Distractor to distract the knee joint via an external force applied to the underside of the patient’s thigh with the leg positioned at 90 degrees of flexion. The distractor is controlled by the operating surgeon in the sterile field, enabling controlled distraction via a lever to create an unobstructed view into the joint space between the posterior femur and proximal tibia.
In the traditional use of the De Mayo Knee Positioner, the foot and ankle are secured in the boot. When the De Mayo Knee Positioner boot is locked into the traveling carriage, knee flexion/extension and varus/valgus motion are controlled in the surgical field. Research conducted by IMP investigated the use of the Universal Distractor to further stabilize the leg during the registration process employed by the surgeon during navigated or robotic-assisted knee reconstruction. The study results demonstrated that the combination of these two devices improved stability of the leg, over the Knee Positioner alone, to improve the reliability of the registration process supporting the knee reconstruction.
Redefining Rigid Patient Positioning in Total Hip Reconstruction
Patient positioning during reconstructive hip surgery was traditionally accomplished using various positioning aids, from bean bags to pegboards to rigid clamping
frames. In 1984, Innovative Medical Products became the gold standard with their original IMP McGuire Hip Positioner, many of which are still in use today. The McGuire Hip Positioner was then updated and is the current Universal Lateral Positioner, otherwise known as the ULP. The ULP provides stable lateral debubitus positioning and creates a reproducible point of reference for primary and revision hip arthroplasty. With removeable and independently adjustable anterior arms, it allows for more accurate contact with the iliac crests and accommodates various patient anatomies. Our patented hyperflexion plate allows up to 120 °of flexion during ROM testing
The IMP MorphBoard® surgical pegboard is a versatile and innovative solution for hip surgeries, designed to meet diverse patient needs. Its modular components allow for effortless adjustments to accommodate various BMIs and seamlessly adapt to any OR table. With multiple peg lengths, the system offers enhanced versatility and a secure fit for improved patient positioning. To ensure patient safety, foam pads and
Shown:
Shown: Universal Lateral Positioner®
Corporate
sleeves are available to provide protection against crosscontamination. Additionally, the PegDok Peg Stabilizer enhances stability by ensuring each peg is fully seated, delivering unmatched reliability during procedures.
MVP: IMP’s Value-Added Commitment Transforms into the Most Valued Partnership
As part of IMP’s shared commitment to , everyone Orthopedic facilities will now be able to gain special access to IMP’s premiere partnership level service and support by using genuine IMP patient protective pads for each procedure.
MVP, otherwise referred to as “Most Valuable Partner,” is a new program that helps facilities
maximize their initial investment. Discounted or complimentary upgrades, courtesy service loaners, repairs, and on-site training and education services are just a few of the benefits that facility administrators will find helpful in protecting their initial investment’s value.
Customer-Valued Products Remains the IMP Focus
IMP’s patient protective pads have been extensively tested during clinical trials to provide maximum patient protection from pressure sores and ulcers. By consistently using IMP’s premium patient protective pads, orthopedic healthcare providers may reduce liability by assuring that they meet AORN and AAMI standards for using the manufacturer’s recommended pad as defined in the IFU.
IMP’s vision for success has always been to collaborate with customers to design, manufacture, and distribute unique, innovative products where surgical patient positioning or supporting logistics has been problematic. IMP’s solutions to universal patient positioning challenges are developed through years of collaboration with busy orthopedic surgeons, marketleading orthopedic companies, and hands-on med/surg support teams. Ideas have been shared for product improvements with perceptive opinions on improving patient positioning in the surgical environment. Having completed ISO 13485 registration successfully in 2021 to expand IMP’s products outside of the US, the company is now supporting surgeries in global markets and the rapidly growing outpatient facility networks in the US.
For more information, please visit IMPmedical.com.
Shown: MorphBoard® with PegDok™
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the OR
By Don Sadler
As the calendar flips to 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) is making its mark in almost every corner of business and society. This includes the operating room, where AI and machine learning (ML) are being integrated to improve decision making, predict surgical complications and case durations, automate documentation and streamline the perioperative workflow.
“Artificial intelligence is being used in health care settings and the operating room is no exception,” says Justin Fontenot, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAADN, the editor-in-chief of Teaching and Learning in Nursing. “Deep neural networks, advanced machine learning and the release of AI chatbots based on this technology are changing our society, including health care and the OR.”
“The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the OR is becoming increasingly prevalent, with 85 to 90 percent of health care systems having some type of AI strategy,” says Lillian H. Nicolette, MSN, RN, CNOR, consultant/partner with Perioperative Consulting LLC. “The market for surgical robotics and coronary artery surgery is up significantly and continues to grow.”
Fontenot says that rollout of AI and ML varies according to the health care setting. “For example, rural hospitals may not have funding to access this advanced technology,” he says. “Studies suggest that a growing number of institutions are experimenting with pilot programs incorporated into perioperative workflows; however, widespread adoption is still pending.”
Reduced Surgical Risk & Improved Outcomes
AI can analyze large amounts of information in much less time than
humans can.
“This reduces surgical risk and can even optimize anesthesia dosages,” says Fontenot.
In addition, AI-powered imaging technology can aid in minimally invasive surgery, “providing surgeons with highly detailed, real-time images that reduce risks and improve accuracy,” says Fontenot.
Perhaps the greatest potential for artificial intelligence and machine learning in the OR lies in their ability to improve patient safety and surgical outcomes.
“AI and ML are redefining surgical safety by making processes more efficient, providing clear metrics that matter to health care leadership and improving conditions for both surgeons and staff,” says Francis Iula, an executive with Chiefy, a surgical team intelligence platform. “We are seeing measurable gains in workflow efficiency, which impacts financials directly.”
Current systems, says Iula, are built on reactive protocols rather than proactive, real-time interventions.
“We’re doing a lot better, but there’s an urgent need for innovation to bridge gaps in safety protocols and make safety a given rather than an aspiration.”
According to Iula, current protocols don’t leverage real-time data, predictive models or even automated decisionmaking tools.
“They rely too much on manual input and legacy workflows, which aren’t built for the modern-day clinician,” he says. “If we want real progress toward zero harm, we need systems that predict, adapt to and support surgical teams dynamically, not just by checklists.”
Nicolette lists a number of different ways that artificial intelligence and machine learning can contribute to better surgical outcomes:
• Predicting complications through data collection and analysis, predictive modeling and real-time monitoring during surgery
• Real-time decision support by using intraoperative monitoring of vital signs and other parameters within the perioperative suite
• Utilization of personalized medicine and treatment plans
• Workflow optimization through improved scheduling and resource allocation
• The use of automated documentation in real time
• Advanced imaging analysis using specific algorithms in MRI and CT scanning for diagnosis and treatment
• Post-operative care management
• Training and simulation using virtual reality
“By integrating these applications in total, the perioperative setting may become more efficient and precise, leading to better patient outcomes,” says Nicolette.
Overcoming Challenges and Obstacles
Perioperative teams face a number of everyday challenges such as time constraints, communication breakdowns and last-minute changes and adjustments. Iula says that AI can “bring order to the chaos” by providing real-time updates, managing equipment needs and ensuring that all team members are on the same page.
“AI has the potential to create a more cohesive environment where safety isn’t compromised by speed,” says Iula. He recommends starting with “low-hanging fruit,” or tasks where automation can make an immediate impact. These include scheduling and block time allocation, resource management, and team coordination and communication (e.g., streamlining preference cards).
Iula calls AI a “force multiplier” that can analyze vast amounts of data far beyond human capacity and identify
COVER STORY
risks before they’re visible to the human eye.
“There’s so much data in health care to be leveraged to improve patient outcomes,” he says. “AI gives health care leaders the hard data they need to make decisions that support patient safety and quality in every procedure.”
Fontenot believes that AI could have major implications in the area of evidence-based practice.
“It takes an average of 15 years for new evidence to reach the bedside, while evidence-based practice uptake in clinical settings currently sits at just 50%,” he says. “This is a big concern for nurse leaders who are instrumental in advancing and sustaining evidencebased practice in clinical settings.”
According to Fontenot, researchbased AI platforms such as Elicit can significantly speed the process of research translation in clinical practice. “Using AI to develop evidence-based practice permits automation of tasks that have previously been performed manually, which can speed the translation rate into clinical settings.”
AI tools can accomplish work that takes six months to perform manually in a couple of weeks. “This is a competitive advantage that health care organizations can market to their communities by letting them know how it improves patient safety and care,” says Fontenot.
Varied Uses of AI & ML
Lake Oconee Orthopedics LLC in Greensboro, Georgia, is using artificial intelligence and machine learning in a number of different ways, says Chief Administrative Officer Nyleen Flores, BA, FMSP, CPMSM, CPCS, CPCO, CASC.
“Using machine learning, we can predict patient recovery patterns and customize rehabilitation plans,” says Flores. “This data can help determine whether more aggressive physical therapy or a slower-paced approach is optimal for individual patients.”
Flores’ facility is also leveraging wearable technology and remote monitoring for activity tracking. “Wearable and implanted devices equipped with AI help monitor postsurgery recovery and physical therapy progress,” she says.
For example, these devices can track patients’ steps, range of motion and other indicators, providing doctors with data on patient adherence and progress.
“Our platform monitors patients’ progress prior to and after the postoperative period, which allows us to gather and assess their progress,” says Flores.
times and helps our practice run on schedule.”
Meanwhile, machine learning models analyze claims and scrubs for coding errors to streamline billing processes, detect errors and reduce claims denials. “This helps the practice manage finances more effectively while increasing the timeliness of reimbursements,” says Flores.
AI and ML are also playing a role in patient encounters. “They’re being used to listen to patient conversations in the room with the physician and complete the SOAP note, enter diagnoses, order tests, log injections, prepare referrals and accurately record patient medical histories,” says Flores. The result is greater accuracy and completion of notes in a more timely fashion.
“All of this, if used properly and in conjunction with the human touch, will assist with quality enhancement and provide a superior patient experience,” says Flores.
Obstacles to Implementation
Lake Oconee Orthopedics
successfully implemented its first “smart knee” in 2024. “This proved to be extremely effective in providing a superior patient experience while delivering actionable and accurate data for discussion of the patient’s postsurgical progression,” says Flores.
The facility is also using AI and ML to improve administrative efficiencies, such as appointment scheduling, billing and insurance.
“AI tools help us optimize scheduling by predicting how long each type of appointment might take, ensuring efficient patient flow,” says Flores. “This minimizes patient wait
While use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the OR is becoming more common, there are barriers and obstacles to widespread implementation. These include data privacy and security, integration with existing systems, training and subsequent adoption, potential bias in AI algorithms, and the high cost of implementation.
“Some health care professionals and providers may be resistant to adopt AI in clinical settings due to a fear of job loss or displacement,” says Fontenot.
However, Iula stresses that AI is a support system, not a replacement. “It’s designed to take on repetitive, dataintensive tasks, freeing up perioperative staff to focus on patient care,” he says.
Iula acknowledges that there’s skepticism among some perioperative professionals about using AI and ML in the perioperative setting.
“This is understandable because AI is new and change isn’t easy,” he says.
“But once people see how AI can make their lives easier without diminishing their role, the lightbulb goes on.”
The key is to build trust by demonstrating clear, tangible benefits.
“Most of the hesitation centers around AI making clinical decisions,” says Iula. “However, AI’s real potential lies in non-clinical areas like scheduling and systems improvement.”
Nicolette says successful preparation for artificial intelligence and machine learning in the OR should include training and education, combined with hands-on experience and participation.
“It’s imperative to stay up to date on the latest trends in artificial intelligence and machine learning,” she says. “Communication with the team is also critical during the integration process, as is adaptability by practitioners.”
Influencing Positive Adoption
Fontenot believes that perioperative nurses are in a unique position to influence the positive adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the OR. However, nurses need adequate opportunity to voice their opinions about rollouts of the technology.
5 ChatGPT TIPS
Chiefy Executive Francis Iula offers a few tips for engineering ChatGPT prompts:
1. Be clear and specific. Providing ChatGPT with specific details about the information you need will generate more accurate responses. Link related PDFs if applicable.
Example: “What are the top 5 patient safety measures for preoperative procedures in the OR?”
2. Provide context. Including relevant background
“To prepare for the inevitable, nurses should work to establish a panel of experts to guide and provide feedback on pilot programs, working collaboratively with technology associates and the IT department,” says Fontenot. “Additionally, nurses can begin to prepare by taking free online courses to learn more about the technologies and how they will affect health care.”
A nurse’s primary concern, of course, is advocating for patients under their care.
“As such, perioperative nurses must speak up and have active roles in the creation of hospital policies and procedures, with the patient at the center of all considerations,” says Fontenot.
Iula stresses that adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning in health care isn’t a sprint –it’s a gradual integration.
“Start small, deliver undeniable value and let professionals see how these technologies can elevate their work,” he says. “Ultimately, the goal is a seamless partnership between human expertise and AI efficiency.”
information helps ChatGPT generate more tailored responses.
Example: “I am an OR manager at an ASC/hospital and we’re implementing a digital communication system in the OR. What are the best strategies to train staff and ensure adoption?”
3. Ask for lists or steps. Request information in list or stepby-step formats to receive more actionable results.
Example: “What steps can help improve patient turnover efficiency in the OR?”
4. Use follow-up prompts. Ask ChatGPT to expand on certain points if you need more detail.
Example: “Can you expand on the benefits of using AI for surgical team collaboration?”
5. Iterate and refine your prompts. Start with a broad question and narrow it down based on ChatGPT’s initial response.
Example: Start with, “How can AI improve surgical workflows?” followed by, “Can you give an example of AI reducing OR delays?”
Francis Iula is an executive with Chiefy.
Nyleen Flores, BA, FMSP, CPMSM, CPCS, CPCO, CASC is the Chief Administrative Officer at Lake Oconee Orthopedics LLC
Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman, right, loves to cheer on her figure skating daughter at competitions representing the University of Nebraska.
SPOTLIGHT ON:
By Don Sadler
It was while working as an assistant at a nursing home in high school that Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman decided that she wanted to pursue a career in nursing. “That’s when I saw what a difference nursing can make in people’s lives,” she says. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what I need to be doing with my career.’ ”
“But if someone had told me back then that I’d be doing what I do today, I’d have never believed them,” says Hoeft-Hoffman, who up until that time planned to pursue a career in education. “Not that you don’t get a lot of education as a nurse, of course.”
Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman, MBA, MSN, RN, CASC, is the administrator at the Heartland Surgery Center in Kearney, Nebraska.
“No two days are the same,” she says of the job that she has held for the past eight years. “There is always something new, some new challenge or procedure that we’re looking at doing. I wear a lot of different hats – whether it’s jumping in and helping with a patient or talking to the surgeon or figuring out if a procedure is appropriate to perform here or not. And most importantly, making sure that our patients receive excellent care.”
Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman • Administrator at the Heartland Surgery Center
Sometimes, Hoeft-Hoffman admits, she does miss the hands-on aspects of working as a perioperative nurse and taking care of patients. “But I also see what a difference I can make in the role I’m in by taking care of our staff that takes care of our patients,” she says.
Hoeft-Hoffman graduated from nursing school in 1984 and then obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing and business. These helped pave the way for her management and leadership roles. The combination of nursing and business degrees has worked out well for her career.
“When a nurse comes to me with something, I understand it from the nurse’s perspective,” she says. “I understand the day-to-day issues nurses face.”
One of the things Hoeft-Hoffman is proudest of in her career is her efforts to get the Nebraska legislature to change state regulations to allow for 23 hour and 59-minute patient stays at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).
“Our center is located in a rural area so one of the best ways to grow was to start a total joint program, which we did,” she explains. “The next step was to be able to allow patients to stay in the center for 23 hours if they needed to for post-op pain or for the anesthesia to wear off.”
Hoeft-Hoffman started out by working with the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. After three years, the HHS representative told her the only way the regulation was going to change was for the state legislature to change it.
“I’m pretty sure she thought that would be the end of it,” says HoeftHoffman. “But I wasn’t going to stop there. Our medical director and I met with our state senator and educated him on this issue, including the fact Nebraska was one of 13 states that didn’t allow for 23 hour and 59-minute patient stays at ASCs.”
The senator immediately agreed and said he would introduce legislation to change the time restraint to 23 hours and 59 minutes, which is consistent with CMS regulations.
“We hired a lobbyist for our center and I contacted my peers across the state to have them write letters to their
senators,” says Hoeft-Hoffman. “Some of them came to give testimony at the HHS hearing. A week later our senator let us know that the bill was moving onto the legislative floor.”
There was no opposition to the bill on the floor, so it passed and was signed into law by Nebraska’s governor in November of 2020.
Since then, Heartland Surgery Center has expanded by adding 8,800 square feet, including four 23-hour stay rooms. The facility was the first ASC in Nebraska to have 23-hour stay patients, says Hoeft-Hoffman.
Hoeft-Hoffman believes that as the population continues to age, perioperative nurses will be in even higher demand because of the number of procedures they will need.
“Baby boomers who live active lifestyles will have more injuries and are going to need total joint replacements and other types of procedures, which will result in a greater need for perioperative nurses,” she says. “The challenge will be figuring out how to recruit enough young nurses into periop to replace the ones who are retiring because this isn’t an area they get a lot of exposure to in nursing education programs.”
The good news, she believes, is how fast new surgical technology is being introduced that improves patient outcomes. “If someone had told me years ago that we’d be doing things like using guided robots for total joint replacements, I’d have thought they were nuts,” she says. “This makes now a very exciting time to be a perioperative nurse.”
Hoeft-Hoffman is an avid reader, devouring everything from novels to educational, leadership and spiritual books. She recently finished “Practicing the Way: Be With Jesus, Become Like Him, Do As He Did,” which she says gave practical ways to live your life more like Jesus. She also participates in a morning walking group. But her favorite thing is to watch and cheer on her daughter, a competitive figure skater who skates for the University of Nebraska.
“That’s my all-time favorite thing to do,” she says.
“If someone had told me years ago that we’d be doing things like using guided robots for total joint replacements, I’d have thought they were nuts. This makes now a very exciting time to be a perioperative nurse.”
Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman
OUT OF THE OR health
Combat the Epidemic of Loneliness by Eating Together
By Family Features
A ccording to the U.S. Surgeon General, Americans face a lack of social connection that poses a significant risk to individual health and longevity. “Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29%, respectively. More broadly, lacking social connection can increase the risk for premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day,” per the report.
One way to address this epidemic of loneliness is by sharing a meal with friends and family. Learn five of the specific advantages of family meals identified by the Family Meals
Movement and take advantage of these benefits by sharing one more mealS together each week.
Meals Together Foster Togetherness and Connectedness
Staying connected can be hard when schedules conflict and life gets busy, but shared meals with friends, family or however you define your family can be the glue that holds people together. Studies demonstrate a positive relationship between family meal frequency and measures of family functioning, which is defined as family connectedness, communication, expressiveness and problem-solving. The key is for family members to engage in conversation with one another during mealtimes and take
advantage of the one-on-one time without distractions or interruptions from smartphones or other devices.
Meals Together Strengthen Mental Health
An often-overlooked benefit of family meals is mental health support. Multiple studies show family meals have long been associated with improving mental health, including reducing symptoms of depression, decreasing violent behavior and lessening thoughts of suicide among youth. Among adolescents, frequent family meals can help mitigate the risks of destructive behaviors by boosting prosocial behaviors and life satisfaction. Data from the FMI Foundation’s “Staying Strong with
Family Meals” Barometer shows family meals also help restore a sense of peace, with one-third of survey respondents saying family meals make them feel calm. In short, family meals are a recipe for strengthening emotional well-being among children and adolescents.
Meals Together Improve Nutrition
There is one easy way to help ensure your family is eating fruits and vegetables: a family meal. Research shows family meals improve fruit and vegetable consumption. It also pays to start this trend early, with research finding preschool-aged children who eat frequent family meals are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables. Overall, research indicates families who eat together frequently
have a better overall healthy diet and lower body mass index.
Meals Together Improve Academic Performance
Helping students’ academic performance begins around the family dinner table. Eating more meals together as a family is associated with improved overall adolescent health, including higher grades. Multiple studies show students whose families eat together frequently perform better academically in areas such as reading and vocabulary. Research also supports a correlation between frequent family meals lowering incidents of risky and harmful behaviors, including drug and alcohol abuse, which may also contribute to school performance.
Meals Together Teach Civility
The family dinner table is a perfect place to show younger generations how to communicate respectfully, according to the Family Meals Barometer summary. In fact, 76% of survey participants agreed family meals are a good opportunity to have and teach respectful interactions while 70% said frequent family meals create a safe environment for families to discuss thornier societal issues. Another 68% affirmed their belief that sitting at a meal together tends to keep conversations more civil. Learn more about the physical, mental and social benefits of family meals at familymealsmovement.org and follow #familymealsmonth and #familymealsmovement on social media.
OUT OF THE OR fitness
Let Food Prompt Fitness
By Miguel J. Ortiz
he food industry and our education around food hasn’t evolved to heal us like it should. When all physicians embark on their journey through medicine they learn a very simple quote. “Let thy medicine be thy food and let thy food be thy medicine,” Hippocrates. Yet, we don’t really use food for medicine.
TThis is something the population has started understanding more, especially since long-term pharmaceutical medication has been one of the top killers. A recent Johns Hopkins study claims more than 250,000 people in the U.S. die every year from medical errors. Other reports claim the numbers to be as high as 440,000. And some long-term medication kills more than cardiovascular disease.
We have less people going to the doctor and more people trying to take care of themselves. Whether it be through a good ole remedy our ancestors passed down or something as simple as fasting and getting plenty of rest. But, how do we do that with all the stress we have in our life?
“We heal ourselves by what we put in our body,” says Dr. Sebi.
I have studied many diets including the Keto, paleo diet and even juicing for
short periods of time. The number one diet that very little people look into, yet it’s the most effective at fighting disease, is the Alkaline diet. It’s a proven fact that no disease, including cancer, can survive in an alkaline environment.
So why aren’t more people following it?
It’s because of what a person has to give up. This way of eating rejuvenates and cleanses cells, fuels the body and helps eliminate unnecessary waste. So even though it seems ideal our current society would need to consider giving up anything that can cause acidity.
The human body has an optimal pH level of about 7.365 anything less than that is considered more acidic anything higher is more alkaline. Food like raw broccoli, raw cabbage, organic cucumber are all about a 10.0 pH level and on the other side you have the more acidic foods like coffee, pasta, white bread, beef, pork and processed foods which are all under 4.0 pH. Sodas fall below 3.0 pH.
A very important thing to consider is the balance that is necessary to keep you healthier and don’t look so deep into exact pH levels. Counting calories has been a puzzle since its inception and has never considered what the calories are once food is cooked. So, let’s not worry about the exact numbers here either. I think we all can understand when we
are full. Having that awareness in the body is important, but will be discussed another time.
For now, worry about if your food is more acidic or more alkaline and eat accordingly. Start making smarter choices like using soft drinks and sodas as a treat and not a weekly or daily item to have. Add more fiber to your diet, most alkaline items tend to be greens and quality fiber. Do less cooking of food and eat more raw foods. Microwaves especially cause food to become more acidic by the way it works to heat the food. It is changing the food’s molecular compounds ultimately changing the pH level. Yes, it’s a different taste but it saves you time if you understand how to prep properly.
This journey into a healthier lifestyle isn’t for the fainthearted, but the moment you put good food in your mouth is the moment your body starts healing itself. Let your food be your medicine.
- Miguel J. Ortiz is a personal trainer in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a member of the National Personal Trainer Institute and a Certified Nutritional Consultant with more than a decade of professional experience.
Investing in Supervisory Skills Pays Off
By Daniel Bobinski
Olivia had been employed with the same company for over 10 years, with consistently excellent performance reviews. One day she heard about an opening at the company’s global headquarters. The job would require relocating to Europe, but it came with a substantial salary increase. Several of Olivia’s colleagues thought she’d excel in the position, but several advised against the move. They’d heard some negative reports about the person to whom Olivia would be reporting.
Still, drawn by the pay increase and the opportunity to live in Europe, Olivia pursued the opportunity. And she got the job. Unfortunately, a year later, Olivia was unemployed and looking for work.
What went wrong? After all, Olivia had stellar reviews and customers loved her work.
Turns out the problem was not Olivia. It was her boss.
When asked about the situation, Olivia said, “I never imagined that someone at such a high level in a company could be so unreasonable.” Her supervisor gave her only vague instructions, but then criticized the work she produced. To be clear, customers were always happy with Olivia’s work, but when those compliments came in,
her supervisor always took the credit. He also openly discounted her input in staff meetings, plus he had a few “favorite” employees who received the choice assignments.
It didn’t take long for Olivia to become demoralized. After a year of being treated so poorly despite producing high-quality work, Olivia quit.
It’s actually not uncommon for senior managers to have poor people management skills. We’re talking about employees who’ve risen through the ranks in spite of their style, not because of it.
It’s here that we must address the need for emotional intelligence (EQ). Daniel Goleman, a pioneer in EQ research, states that EQ accounts for nearly 90% of what distinguishes outstanding leaders from average ones. Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that leaders with high EQ were more likely to foster positive work environments and have more engaged employees.
Obviously, Olivia’s supervisor lacked these skills, and his poor skill set cost his company a lot of money.
The most obvious is the direct cost of replacement. The Society for Human Resource Development tells us that actual hard costs for replacing an employee is just under $5,000. However, when factoring in all associated costs, the total spent on replacing someone can be up to twice their annual salary.
Research shows that 60% of employees
quit because of poor relationships with their supervisors. With that in mind, one must ask, “Why pay the huge expense of finding and training new employees when it’s much cheaper to equip supervisors with good people skills?”
Substantial evidence exists suggesting that supervisors and managers who improve their emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationship skills can significantly reduce employee turnover. This is because such people are more likely to create work environments in which employees feel valued and understood. That doesn’t mean employees will stop leaving entirely, but it’s a fair bet that if Olivia’s boss had those skills, she’d still be adding profit to her company as an engaged and productive employee.
Daniel Bobinski, is author of the bestselling book, “Creating Passion-Driven Teams,” and president of Leadership Development, Inc. He’s been helping organizations of all shapes and sizes since 1989. Learn more at www.eqfactor.net or reach him at DanielBobinski@protonmail. com or 208-649-6400.
OUT OF THE OR nutrition
Begin the New Year with Nourishing and Delectable Recipes
By Grace O
L
ike many of us, the desire to embrace a healthier diet often becomes a New Year’s resolution. We seek out nutrient-dense foods that not only shield us from chronic diseases but may also contribute to reversing certain ailments and slowing down the aging process.
That’s one of the reasons I launched FoodTrients.com over a decade ago. I wanted to create a unique approach to fresh, nutritional and age-defying foods. FoodTrients are what I call the natural anti-aging properties of food, and I build my recipes on the foundations of modern scientific research and ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients from cultures all over the world.
However, it’s not enough to create healthy, age-defying recipes. They have to taste great if we’re going to enjoy them and serve them to family and friends.
Just to give you a little insight to my recipes, I focus on nine categories of FoodTrients that are essential to healthful living. Each recipe in my cookbooks and on FoodTrients.com includes special “icons” that let you see at-a-glance the health benefits of each dish.
The benefit icons include the following:
• Anti-Inflammatory: reduces chronic inflammation throughout the body, helping the body age gracefully while lowering the risk of diseases and infections
• Antioxidant: prevents and repairs oxidative damage to cells caused by free radicals
• Beauty: promotes vibrant skin and hair and helps keep eyes healthy
• Detox: supports the body’s natural detoxification systems including liver function and health
• Disease Prevention: reduces risk factors for common degenerative and age-related diseases (like cancer and diabetes)
• Gut Health: encourages healthy digestion and a vibrant community of microbes in the gut
• Immune Boosters: support the body’s resistance to infection and strengthen immune vigilance and response
• Mind: improves mood, memory and focus
• Strength: protects bone density and joints, and helps repair and build tissue in muscles
To start off 2025, I’ve selected a recipe that you might enjoy from my first cookbook, “The Age Gracefully Cookbook: The Power of FOODTRIENTS to Promote Health and Well-being for a Joyful and Sustainable Life.”
– Grace O is the creator of FoodTrients, a unique program for optimizing wellness and longevity. She is the author of three award-winning cookbooks. Her latest cookbook is “Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World.” Learn more at FoodTrients.com/recipes/anti-inflammatory.
Spinach and Grapefruit Salad
Spinach contains iron as well as age-defying antioxidants. Grapefruit is chock-full of vitamin C and potassium. You can use vitamin-C-packed pink or white grapefruit in this salad, though pink grapefruit has the added benefit of lycopene. If you use whole segments of the grapefruit, you’ll also add fiber. The candied walnuts and dried apricots balance the acidity of the grapefruit and increase the antioxidants in this dish. My Honey-Lime Dressing perfectly complements the mellow flavor of the spinach.
Ingredients
• 1 bunch or 1 bag spinach leaves
• 1 whole grapefruit, segmented
• ¼ cup candied walnuts
• ¼ cup dried apricots
• 2 recipes Honey-Lime Dressing to taste.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Wash and stem the spinach leaves and place in a bowl.
2. Add the grapefruit, walnuts, and apricots.
3. Toss with dressing to taste.
Honey-Lime Dressing
Yields about ¼ cup
This is a very versatile dressing that you can toss with any mixed greens. The lime juice provides immune-boosting vitamin C, while antioxidant compounds in the chili powder help to neutralize free radicals in your cells. If you want a spicier dressing, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Both contain capsaicin, which stimulates circulation. To use this dressing with fruit salad, simply omit the allicin-rich garlic – it will be nutritious!
Ingredients
• 1 ½ Tbs. lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 ½ Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 minced garlic clove
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• Sea salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all the ingredients in a container with a tightfitting lid and shake until well blended.
OUT OF THE OR recipe Recipe
Fall Grain Bowl with Prosciutto
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 cup baby arugula
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt, to taste
• 1 cup cooked farro
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 3/4 cup cooked squash
• 4 mozzarella bocconcini balls, halved
• 2 slices Prosciutto di Parma PDO, halved
By family features
OUT OF THE OR recipe
Comforting Staples Elevate Lunch
S avory and satisfying, comforting ingredients can transform simple recipes into mouthwatering meals. As temperatures fall, people look for comforting foods to warm the soul. For inspiration, consider Italian ingredients to help make homemade lunches easy and satisfying.
To get ready for weekday lunches, a Fall Grain Bowl with Prosciutto featuring Prosciutto di Parma PDO and filled with your favorite veggies is a tasty option for discovering the possibilities of high-quality Italian ingredients.
These authentic products are Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certified, a highly esteemed classification for European foods that have been produced according to the same traditional methods in a defined geographic region for centuries.
PDO-certified foods offer a guarantee of quality and authenticity. Only products made following traditional methods within defined production areas, under strict supervision and using carefully monitored ingredients qualify for PDO certification from the European Union. Among these artisan products, you’ll find some of the world’s most delicious cheeses and cured meats.
For your comfort food cravings, on an appetizer plate, drape thinly sliced, savory Prosciutto di Parma PDO and chunks of Grana Padano PDO to complement your favorite nuts and olives. Both pair beautifully with fruity red, white or sparkling wines, though they also are enjoyable with your favorite beer or soft drink. While these tastes of Italy can be enjoyed on their own, they are also capable of transforming simple dishes into decadent meals.
Find more comforting fall meal ideas by visiting distinctlydeliciouslyeuropean.eu.
Fall Grain Bowl with Prosciutto Serves: 1
1. In mixing bowl, toss arugula, olive oil, lemon juice and salt, to taste.
2. Transfer to serving bowl; if packing for lunch, transfer to plastic container.
3. In another bowl, combine cooked farro and pesto; toss to coat. Transfer farro to serving bowl or plastic container next to arugula.
4. Top farro with squash and mozzarella bocconcini balls. Drape prosciutto next to squash.
Periop ConneCT Exceeds Expectations
The 2024 Periop ConneCT conference was a hit with perioperative professionals from throughout New England. Presented by OR Today with support from the AORN Connecticut Chapter 0701 the conference provided amazing opportunities for exhibitors and attendees.
Held October 25-26, at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, perioperative professionals from throughout Connecticut and the Northeast came together for CEaccredited education, exhibits with leading vendors and great networking events.
Attendees praised the conference via a post-conference survey.
Yale New Haven Hospital Staff RN Tabea Wilson said that she found the “diversity and bias presentation” valuable.
“I enjoyed her honesty and caring way of presenting,” she added. “I liked the variety and the speakers I heard were wonderful.”
“I enjoyed everything about the event,” said Elaine McDunnah, RN Staff, retired Midstate Medical Center. “This was a wonderful experience and I look forward to next year.”
Kimberly Frazier, a sterile processing technician, from Rhinebeck, New York, said she enjoyed the session on “aromatherapy because it’s great that companies are beginning to research alternative options to patient care.”
“Sara Cruz’s presentation was fabulous and extremely informative,” she added. “There were extremely interesting topics and the presentations were excellent.”
Surgical Services Hartford Healthcare at Charlotte Hungerford Nurse Manager Kathryn Grant found the educational sessions beneficial.
“I enjoyed ‘This is the way I have always done it.’ It is a chronic issue across health care I also enjoyed “A Strap goes a long way.” Safety is paramount,” Grant said.
“The program had offerings that all of the specialties could benefit from,” said Jeanne Ring, MSN, RN, CNOR, professional development coordinator with Bristol Hospital “All of the programs were excellent.”
Darlene Bileau, a staff nurse at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, agreed with Grant.
“I loved the minimally invasive foot surgery presentation! Great presentation and I liked the topic. Seems like it’s really positive for the patient. I also really
enjoyed ‘We always do it that way’ It hit home in a big way,” she said.
“The educational sessions were all engaging and informative and the perfect length of time,” said Yale New Haven Hospital Surgical Technology Program Coordinator Angel Pickett.
“The presentation on infection by Dr. Ruben contained lots of useful information and information and facts that were new to me. I also like the education on transgender, it’s such a unique/popular topic these days,” Pickett said.
“It was really nice to network and see other healthcare professionals that I haven’t seen in some time,” Pickett added.
“Overall, the sessions were good, informative and had the audience engaged,” said St. Francis Hospital Certified Surgical Technologist Kimberly Rojas.
Yale New Haven Hospital’s Marie Tammaro, RN, described the educational session. “They were informative, and the speakers were highly educated in their content.”
“I enjoyed the conference,” she added.
Find out more and sign up for the Periop ConneCT newsletter at PeriopConneCT.com.
The Southeastern Regional Nursing Conference attracted more than 250 perioperative professionals including 40 relevant companies exhibiting and answering questions in a busy exhibit hall.
An in-person event with the theme “The Power of Purpose: Better Together” was a regional conference for perioperative professionals held November 1516 in Charleston, South Carolina. AORN and Southeastern Councils of Perioperative Registered Nurses (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina) invited individuals to attend and reap the benefits of the conference.
“We had the president-elect for the South Carolina nurses association and the dean for the school of nursing at MUSC,” said Vangie Dennis MSN,
RN, CNOR, CMLSO.
The success of the Southeastern Regional Nursing Conference stemmed from a combination of thoughtful planning, relevant themes and effective engagement with perioperative nurses and surgical technologists.
“The conference featured highprofile experts, experienced nurses and health care leaders that inspired our audience. Regional conferences provide an opportunity for nurses to attend cost effectively, network and engage with their regional colleagues and vendors. The success of the conference is transformational evidence that local AORN members can engage in their professional development,” Dennis said.
“A sense of power and purpose is different for everyone. It may stem from the personal satisfaction of a job well done, the achievement you feel when a surgical patient says, ‘Thank
you,’ or the collective joy when every operating room team member contributes to a positive outcome,” the conference website stated ahead of the event. “Join us in Charleston for a conference to celebrate the Power of Purpose.”
“Gather with nurses, surgical technologists, sterile processing technicians and all perioperative professionals who are changing the world,” it added.
Features of the conference included:
• Continuing education that will energize your practice (8.5 CH)
• An innovation showcase with hands-on demos of the latest OR technologies
• Connections with health care colleagues from across the region
• Fun in a charming historic city
Find out more about AORN state councils at tinyurl.com/mw8sv7nr
