After months of anticipation, OR Excellence 2018 did not disappoint. Here are some highlights from the conference and what was heard on the showroom floor.
Wednesday afternoon kicked off with a workshop lead by Peter J. Papadakos, MD, FCCM, FAARC from the University of Rochester Medical Center discussing the dangerous of using smartphones while working in the OR. Using smartphones leads to distracted staff, which can lead to mistakes during a procedure.
The workshop was followed by a presentation by Rafael Grossman, MD, the first doctor to ever use Google Glass during surgery. The new invention streams the procedure live, by way of WiFi-connected glasses, to a third party which provides additional guidance and assists with documentation.
The dichotomy between the dangers of certain technologies and the exciting benefits that other advances offer was certainly interesting. On the showroom floor, vendors focused on the positive side of emerging technologies, presenting their newest solutions for conference attendees.
Improving patient care and safety is always a central theme of any healthcare-focused event. OR Excellence 2018 was no exception. One presentation by former AORN president, William Duffy, RN, MJ, CNOR, FAAN, spoke to this topic specifically, examining behaviours and attitudes that foster a safer working environment.
On the trade show floor, conference attendees explored a variety of solutions that can promote not only their patient’s safety, but their own as well. Nurses recognize that they must protect themselves first or risk the safety of their patients. When infection spreads to OR staff, it can quickly spread to patients as well.
Vendors and conference attendees alike were thrilled with the new format of OR Excellence this year. While the Big 10 meetings may have given some participants flashbacks to their days of speed dating, the overall feedback was that they created an efficient and productive opportunity for vendors and attendees to get to know each other at the start of the conference.
Besides the new event format, everyone was excited to hear about the new partnership between the OR Excellence Conference and the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). AORN members will now be able to receive complimentary digital subscriptions of Outpatient Surgery Magazine.
Future attendees of OR Excellence will still have the ability to participate in the event they know and love, with the opportunity to receive greater resources and better workshops.
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