ANAHEIM, Calif. - the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) presented Cynthia Spry, RN, MSN, MA, CNOR, with one of the national organization's most distinguished awards.

At the annual AORN conference, which took place last week in Anaheim, Calif., Spry was the recipient of the AORN Award for Excellence in Perioperative Nursing for outstanding global educational contributions.

Spry is the tenth recipient of the award since its inception in 1990; the association noted she was selected as the honoree because of her accomplishments in clinical practice, education and research that have had a global impact on perioperative nursing. 

She has lectured international on sterilization, disinfection and infection control as an employee of Advanced Sterilization Products, a Johnson and Johnson company. Spry has also served as the president of AORN and chairs the organization's international advisory board.

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Operating Room

 operating room page provides news articles and videos on the intersection between surgery and infection prevention. The operating room is a prime breeding ground for harmful pathogens to spread, resulting in surgical site infections. The role of the infection preventionist, together with the perioperative nursing staff, is to craft policies and processes to cut down on these infections and ensure patient safety during surgical procedures. 

Sterile Processing

 sterile processing page provides an inside look into the sterile processing (or central supply) department in the hospital where surgical instruments are cleaned, sterilized, and reprocessed in order to disinfect, remove bioburden, and prep for upcoming procedures. Sterile processing applies to not only the knives, scalpels, scissors, forceps, and clamps used in surgery, but also instruments such as endoscopes and duodenoscopes. 

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Nurse Receives Prestigious AORN Award