Individual malpractice insurance decisions revisited Ellen Murphy Questions of whether nurses who work as employees should carry individual malpractice insurance in addition to their employer’s coverage have arisen since hospitals began carrying malpractice insurance. Most nurses are familiar with the traditional arguments for and against individual coverage. I have long advised that the answer is […]
Category: AORN Journal
From the serious to the not-so-serious, this year’s General Sessions were informative and entertaining: Sunday, March 23, to Thursday, March 27, 2003 – General Sessions – Association of periOperative Registered Nurses review of sessions This year’s Congress in Chicago featured more General Sessions than recent Congresses. Topics ranged from enhancing patient safety through use of […]
Postlaryngospasm Pulmonary Edema In Adults – includes examination for continuing education credit Jane J. Baltimore The article “Postlaryngospasm pulmonary edema in adults” is the basis for this AORN Journal independent study. The behavioral objectives and examination for this program were prepared by Jeanne F. Hately, RN, MSN, CNOR, clinical editor, with consultation from Trish O’Neill, […]
Using technology to improve and support: communication and workflow processes Deborah Tuke Bahlman In today’s dynamic perioperative environment, nurses experience many communication and workflow challenges, including handling numerous telephone calls pertaining to patient status, location, or allergy concerns; communicating delays to patients’ family members; and resolving paperwork issues before a patient enters the OR. This […]
The use of aprotinin for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft procedures Regina T. Whitener A major concern in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures is the control of intraoperative and postoperative patient blood loss. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of a hemostatic agent (ie, aprotinin [Trasylol]) that reduces the […]
Heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapyThe challenges of bringing chemotherapy into surgery Patricia Foltz Cancer treatment typically includes radiation, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, and surgical removal of cancerous infiltrates with adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Perioperative nurses at Altru Health System, Grand Forks, ND, embraced a new challenge of combining chemotherapy with a surgical procedure. The procedure, […]
Stained surgical linen; gowning at the back table; cloth hats; removing medication stoppers; patient privacy – questions and answers to nursing practice Carol Petersen Question: We use cloth gowns, drapes, and wrappers at our facility, and the laundering of our linen is contracted to on outside laundry service. We have been having a terrible problem […]
Quality improvements affect care for chronic conditions National quality improvement interventions aimed at patients with diabetes, hypertension, and asthma improved the quality-of-care processes in health centers but did not improve intermediate clinical outcomes, according to a Feb 28, 2007, news release from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In a study of 9,658 patients […]
Future Congress dates and locations announced Make plans now to attend AORN Congress in upcoming years. Following is a list of future Congress dates and locations: * 2008–March 30 to April 3, Anaheim, California * 2009–March 15 to 19, Chicago, Illinois * 2010–March 14 to 18, Denver, Colorado * 2011–March 19 to 24, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania […]
An RN first assistant’s guide to private practice – registered nurse Sheila Hughes Although RN first assistant (RNFA) practice began more than a century ago, current practice began to evolve in the 1970s when members asked AORN to determine whether first assisting by nurses was part of perioperative nursing practice. (1) In the early 1980s, […]