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OR nurses' role ignored
Spinal surgery is not without hazards, and the OR nurse should be aware of them. Segmental spinal instrumentationhas been an important development in spinal surgery, bringing new challenges and problems. Debbie Hawk, RN Orthopedic Division Head, OR Children’s Hospital Akron, Ohio
More is more When I receive my monthly Journals, I check the table of contents and put aside those of great interest for in-depth study. Having just completed the April issue, I must compliment you on the superb articles, “Taking the stress out of OR communication” and “Discipline without punishment.” Noting the controversy over types of articles published in the Journal, I can only say, keep on doing what you are doing-offering many subjects of interest to OR nurses, who have, after all, broad differences in their job requirements. Linda Lowenstein, RN, CNOR Pittsford, NY
Nursing practice subject of conference
OR nurses’ role ignored I recently read in Laundry Digest (January 1983) an article by Glenn Runnels, OR aseptic practice specialist of Fashion Seal. He states that thestandard for surgical drapes has been and will continue to be a reusable woven textile. The article is directed to hospital laundry managers and instructs them to estimate the cost of reusable barriers so that no responsible administrator can ignore the economics of reusables. Runnels refers to AORN standards, but his use of standard in this context is misleading. AORN standards refer to desirable properties of barriers; they do not specify woven or nonwoven. It appears that he encourages bypassing OR nurse managers in the selection of surgical barriers. He implies that the user’s input is not appropriate or necessary. Rather, he sees the selection of barriers as a simple matter of cost. The decision, however, is much more compli-
670
cated, and he omits many important issues. Most important are patient care and the surgical team’s needs. We recognize that the OR nurse manager is responsiblefor providing patient care and appropriate supplies and equipment. Implicit in this responsibility is the consideration of cost to the patient, but the best patient value is not determined by cost alone. This value cannot be ascertained without the clinical expertise of OR nursing. When the clinical acceptability of a product has been established, other issues must be considered, including availability, storage constraints, ability (or lack of) to process inhouse, vendor service, and reliability. If the selected product can’t satisfy all these criteria, cost becomes unimportant and the product has no value in the institution. Although Fashion Seal has a vested interest in reusablesurgical textiles, it would seem that they also have a vested interest in recognizing who the actual user of their product is. Lois Hoke, RN Assistant director of nursing, OR Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago
“New Knowledge for Nursing Practice” will be the theme of a conference sponsored by the ANA Cabinet on Nursing Practice, the divisions on nursing practice, and councils. The conference will be held Nov 3 to 6 in Denver. The 35-program sessions will focus on practice-based research findings and new discoveries in generic and specialty nursing practice. Topics will include community health, maternal and child health, gerontology, and medical-surgical areas. For more information, write to American Nurses’ Association, Marketing, 2420 Pershing Rd, Kansas City, Mo 64108, or call (800) 821-5834.
AORN Journal, October 1983, Vo138, No 4
More is more When I receive my monthly Journals, I check the table of contents and put aside those of great interest for in-depth study. Having just completed the April issue, I must compliment you on the superb articles, “Taking the stress out of OR communication” and “Discipline without punishment.” Noting the controversy over types of articles published in the Journal, I can only say, keep on doing what you are doing-offering many subjects of interest to OR nurses, who have, after all, broad differences in their job requirements. Linda Lowenstein, RN, CNOR Pittsford, NY
Nursing practice subject of conference
OR nurses’ role ignored I recently read in Laundry Digest (January 1983) an article by Glenn Runnels, OR aseptic practice specialist of Fashion Seal. He states that thestandard for surgical drapes has been and will continue to be a reusable woven textile. The article is directed to hospital laundry managers and instructs them to estimate the cost of reusable barriers so that no responsible administrator can ignore the economics of reusables. Runnels refers to AORN standards, but his use of standard in this context is misleading. AORN standards refer to desirable properties of barriers; they do not specify woven or nonwoven. It appears that he encourages bypassing OR nurse managers in the selection of surgical barriers. He implies that the user’s input is not appropriate or necessary. Rather, he sees the selection of barriers as a simple matter of cost. The decision, however, is much more compli-
670
cated, and he omits many important issues. Most important are patient care and the surgical team’s needs. We recognize that the OR nurse manager is responsiblefor providing patient care and appropriate supplies and equipment. Implicit in this responsibility is the consideration of cost to the patient, but the best patient value is not determined by cost alone. This value cannot be ascertained without the clinical expertise of OR nursing. When the clinical acceptability of a product has been established, other issues must be considered, including availability, storage constraints, ability (or lack of) to process inhouse, vendor service, and reliability. If the selected product can’t satisfy all these criteria, cost becomes unimportant and the product has no value in the institution. Although Fashion Seal has a vested interest in reusablesurgical textiles, it would seem that they also have a vested interest in recognizing who the actual user of their product is. Lois Hoke, RN Assistant director of nursing, OR Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago
“New Knowledge for Nursing Practice” will be the theme of a conference sponsored by the ANA Cabinet on Nursing Practice, the divisions on nursing practice, and councils. The conference will be held Nov 3 to 6 in Denver. The 35-program sessions will focus on practice-based research findings and new discoveries in generic and specialty nursing practice. Topics will include community health, maternal and child health, gerontology, and medical-surgical areas. For more information, write to American Nurses’ Association, Marketing, 2420 Pershing Rd, Kansas City, Mo 64108, or call (800) 821-5834.
AORN Journal, October 1983, Vo138, No 4