Five Considerations to Reduce Pressure Ulcers in the OR
When you think of pressure ulcers (PU), also known as pressure injuries (PI), you may not think of the OR. However, surgery-related pressure injuries may account for as much as...
Stethoscope Cleaning 101
“How do I clean my stethoscope?” It’s a question we are asked frequently, and for good reason. Clinicians who care for patients want to help prevent the spread of germs....
Global Sterilization Standards Support Infection Prevention Better Patient Outcomes
In the words of poet Maya Angelou, “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” That is true of all people, and it is especially true of healthcare...
A Look at ERAS and its Impact – What are Metrics and Experience Telling us?
When I first heard about ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery), I was in clinical practice as a Nurse Practitioner in general surgery. When the surgeon described its concept to me,...
The Disinfection and Sterilization of Endoscopes: A Primer
A 2013 study assessed 98 endoscopy-related outbreaks in which 1,113 patients were contaminated and 249 infected.1 More recently, > 130 gastrointestinal outbreaks were cited and > 25 outbreaks of MDROs...
Protecting Patients Behind the Scenes
Surgeons and other procedural physicians ascribe, as do all physicians, to Primum non nocere, “First do no harm.” The scope of the potential harm is realized when one considers that...
Hidden in Plain Sight: Do You Know Where Your Medical Tapes Have Been?
Stocked in every supply room and brought to nearly every patient room, tape is one of the most widely-used medical technologies. There are few medical items that touch patients as...
The Call for Better Diabetes Care: Why I had to Amputate my Father’s Foot
I have a lot of great memories of my father and his life, but the day I had to amputate half of his foot was one of the hardest. My...
Five Ways 3M Science and Education Helps the Heart
Helping the heart may not be the first thing people think about when it comes to 3M, but in recognition of February as American Heart Month, we’re sharing some of...
Recognizing the Art of Infusion Therapy
We all know science is crucial to medicine and obtaining the best outcomes. After all, evidence-based outcomes are the backbone of care. However, in some areas, that science merges with...