ORNAC Journal

Providing rapid response is a primary goal when caring for surgical patients with injuries involving massive blood loss. Massive transfusion protocols have been developed in some tertiary care health care facilities to ensure a rapid and efficient response in the provision of care to patients with a massive and uncontrolled hemorrhage. The purpose of this article is to discuss a massive transfusion protocol and to describe the process used to implement a massive transfusion protocol at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre (the site) as well as to describe its impact in the operating room department...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This article discusses the concept of conscientious objection in relation to surgical terminations of pregnancy. It explores a scrub nurse's duty of care not only to the patient but to themselves. It highlights the importance of being self-aware of one's moral and emotional attitude towards abortions in theatre. Doing so enables the nurse/ODP to practice professionally and autonomously, and to deliver the highest level of perioperative care whilst respecting their personal rights.

Healthcare workers make up 11% of British Columbia's workforce and, on an annual basis, they account for over 7,500 time-loss claims, 300,000 days of work lost, and a cost of more than $50 million in health claims as a result of musculo-skeletal injuries (MSIs) that occur in the workplace relating to patient care, over-exertion, slips, trips and violence. A new acute care hospital was constructed in Abbotsford, BC and opened in 2008. During this construction, extensive ceiling lift coverage was provided throughout the facility including in the operating room (OR)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The purpose of this literature review was to examine the current state of knowledge on successful collaborative practice in the operating room. Using the determinants of successful collaborative practice, developed by San-Martin-Rodriguez, Beaulieu, D'Amour, & Ferrada-Videla, the current literature on collaboration in the operating room was reviewed in order to identify the gaps in knowledge and identify future research avenues. The review highlighted that communication patterns among operating room team members was the most extensively researched aspect of teamwork...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This article describes the nontechnical skill set, and behavioural rating tool, for scrub practitioners/nurses (e.g. perioperative registered nurses; operating room technicians) known as the Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative NonTechnical Skills or the SPLINTS system. The SPLINTS system was developed at the Industrial Psychology Research Centre of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, by a research team comprising psychologists, scrub nurses, and a surgeon. Details of the system were presented, by Rhona Flin, at the ORNAC National and International Conference with IFPN, in Ottawa, in April of 2013...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Safe and effective patient preoperative skin antisepsis is recommended to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs), reduce patient morbidity, and reduce systemic costs. However, there is lack of consensus among best practice recommendations regarding the optimal skin antiseptic solution and method of application. METHODS: In 2010 and 2011 the health technology appraisal committee of the Surgery Operational Clinical Network (SOCN), of Alberta Health Services (AHS), conducted an environmental scan to determine the current preoperative skin antisepsis in Alberta, reviewed key publications and existing guidelines, and requested a systematic review from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

As described, the responsibilities of the Perioperative RN are extensive, complex, time-sensitive, can impact a large number of patients and multi-professionals. In a time of tremendous pressures in health care, with patient safety as a focus, there is an expectation of practice excellence throughout. Registered Nurses need to determine if they can, or are willing to, achieve excellence of practice in the OR. Our reason for being is "THE PATIENT". Strategize how you will achieve the bar of excellence and in the words of Wayne Gretzky--"skate to where the puck will be...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Real-time intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) provides a tremendous benefit to patients undergoing brain tumour surgery. This paper will discuss the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre's experience implementing a new iMRI program in a new neurosurgery operating room suite. It will review MRI technology and discuss related safety considerations for patients and personnel.

Great leadership usually starts with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference. Strong leadership is important, in today's health care climate, to ensure optimal patient outcomes and the fostering of future generations of knowledgeable, motivated and enthusiastic perioperative nurses. This article will explore key elements necessary for the development of authentic leadership. While highlighting the role that personal development plays in leadership skills, this article will also discuss ways to cultivate authenticity in leadership...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The WHO Safe Surgery Checklist (2008) patient safety focus and communication prompts are widely accepted. In many low-income regions (as defined by the World Bank and accepted by the World Health Organization) perioperative nurses have little or no formal training; continuing and in-service education are virtually unknown; nor does an articulated "culture of safety" exist. In 2009 the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS) piloted a two-day perioperative nursing course, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, using lectures, case studies, skills sessions, and role-play exercises based on the SSSL Checklist outline and protocols...

Amputation for paediatric bone cancer is cosmetically and emotionally disturbing. At the Stollery Children's Hospital, in Edmonton, Alberta, families are taken to see their child following amputation but before their child's anaesthetic has been reversed. Through a retrospective study we found that families found this step to be valuable in helping them prepare to support and care for their child post-amputation.