|Articles|March 21, 2017

2017 Operating Room State of the Industry Report

This year's state of the industry report for the operating room, with data provided through an online survey of ICT readers who work in surgical services, is designed to offer a snapshot of the key issues and challenges relating to budgets, resourcing and workloads, as well as ongoing shortages in time, personnel and educational opportunities.

Report Summary

Perioperative personnel who participated in ICT's survey reported a number of infection prevention-related imperatives within the context of sterile technique; characterized their healthcare institution's surgical site infection (SSI) rates; and also expressed concerns related to environmental hygiene in the operating room.

Editor's Take

The majority of survey respondents (85 percent) said they believed that their healthcare institution has a strong culture of safety overall, indicating that some work still needed to be done to improve communication and collaboration between the operating room and other key stakeholders in the healthcare environment.

Takeaways for Your Business

  • Survey respondents indicated their concerns about infection breaches related to sterile technique

  • OR personnel reported a lack of environmental hygiene in the surgical arena

  • Perioperative personnel suggest that adequate resourcing continues to be a significant challenge


Xenex offers LightStrike, the only Pulsed Xenon Full Spectrum™ disinfection system. It quickly eliminates harmful pathogens that cause Hospital Acquired Infections. Peer reviewed published outcome studies conducted by hospitals using LightStrike show up to 70% reductions in C. diff and MRSA infection rates, and 100% decrease in total joint SSIs.


Related to this article

Water  (Adobe Stock 456102510 by stockphoto-graf)
Understanding current water quality is a starting point for ST108 implementation. John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, spoke about his HSPA presentation on assessing readiness, distinguishing system qualification from routine testing, and understanding where water samples should be collected.
Image of Pathogens flying   (Adobe Stock weerasak)
Behind every landmark in infection prevention, from antimicrobial stewardship guidelines to the COVID-19 town halls that reached flight attendants and teachers, is a generation of physician-scientists who led SHEA through crises, organizational change, and scientific breakthroughs. Infection Control Today traces 30 years of SHEA presidents and the lasting mark they left on the field.
AORN26 New Orleans 2026  (Adobe Stock)
Missing instruments and processing delays can strain OR–SPD relationships. At AORN 2026, John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, discusses understanding root causes, exploring off-site reprocessing for ambulatory surgical centers, and using hands-on simulation to help surgical teams see sterile processing from a different perspective.