Infection Control Today - 03/2004: Perspectives

AORN Congress Offers Something for Everyone

By Betty J. Shultz, RN, CNOR

The upcoming Association of periOperative Registered Nurses(AORN) Congress, March 21-25, 2004 in San Diego, reflects a wide range of issuesand topics of interest to perioperative registered nurses, centralservice/sterile processing professionals and infection control professionals.AORN has worked hard to put together a thought-provoking education program withsomething for everyone, including managers, those with a clinical focus, andstudents and faculty.

AORNs education sessions:

• Present information related to current issues, trends, andfuture challenges affecting perioperative nursing practice

• Provide insightinto major perioperative safety trends

• Explore leadership and management strategies to improve team collaboration and operations

• Identify best clinical practices to improve patient outcomes

• Present education techniques and strategies

• Explore strategies for increasing the voice of perioperative nurses in the legislative/health policy arena

• Enhance personal and professional balance

Additionally, education sessions of particular interest to infection control professionals, include:

• Environmental Surveillance in the Operating Room

• WhatAre The Facts in Musculosketal Allograft Tissue Safety, Infectious DiseaseTesting, and Regulation?

• AAMI Standards for Protective Barriers

• Operation Iraqi Freedom and Surgery in an Austere Field Setting

• Whats Next? Current Issues in Epidemiology

• Flash: What Do I Need to Know About Sterilization Process Monitoring

• Disaster Preparedness

• Road to Implementation: Translating SIP (Surgical Infection Prevention Project) Into Daily Practice

• Chemical and Infectious Agents: Are You Safe?

AORNs Patient Safety First Track includes sessionsthat provide information and insight into perioperative safety trends,including:

• Human Factors Training explore the critical importance of effective communication and teamwork in providing safety for providers and patients.

• Workplace Safety: Part One explore the role of theOccupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in prioritizing the healthand safety of workers. Part Two leave this session with a betterunderstanding of the global impact of fatigue on safety, fatigue as a healthcareand community issue, and studies that have been undertaken to document theimpact of fatigue.

• Creating a Culture of Patient Safety and Efficiency identify, plan, and implement systems and tools for patient safety initiatives.Areas of focus include JCAHO standards and ways to develop, implement andmonitor different standards in perioperative services.

• Dietary Supplements: What You Dont Know Can Hurt Your Patients

• Perioperative Considerations When the Patient is a Diabetic

• A Nursing Teams Emotional Response to a Widely Publicized Sentinel Event Incident Reports: Can They Improve Patient Safety?

• Malignant Hyperthermia Simulation Improves Safety

• Against All Odds: Practical Approaches to Implement Best Practices in the OR

• Minimizing Risk and Ensuring Safety

• Patient Safety in the Ambulatory Setting

• High-Alert Medications: A Case-Based Approach to Understanding the Problems and Designing Solutions

• Dont Be Left Out in the Cold Emphasizing theimportance of maintaining normothermia for the perioperative patient.

• Massive Transfusion Managing Hemorrhage in the Trauma Patient

• Ambulatory Update: Another Look at HIPAA

• Managing the Unmanageable: Scheduling as the First Line of Defense in the Battle of Operational Efficiency

• Responding to the Unthinkable: Duke University Hospitals Experience with a Transplant Sentinel Event

This years Congresstheme, Unity: Perioperative Partnerships, reflects AORNs diversity asan organization and how it gives us the opportunity to hear various opinions andsuggestions from all segments of the membership and interdisciplinary team,including industry partners. A united front of diverse interests has more powerthan one voice. Although individuals can and do accomplish goals, greatness isaccomplished by working together. No individual has knowledge of all facets ofan issue, but by listening to each other and team members, we can fullyunderstand and address the issues.

For more information or to register, visit AORN online atwww.aorn.org or contact AORN Customer Service at (800) 755-2676, ext 1. Betty J. Shultz, RN, CNOR, is president of AORN.