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.
Emerging Technology – The Good and the Bad
Wednesday afternoon kicked off with a workshop lead by Peter J. Papadakos, MD, FCCM, FAARC from the University of Rochester Medical Center discussing
OR Excellence 2018 was held from October 3-5 at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
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.
There was much excitement around the premiere of the new Serres Nemo, the latest innovation from Serres. The Serres Nemo fluid disposal device is used for flushing suction bag content into the sewer and creates value disposal-by-disposal with a safer, cleaner and more cost-effective way to dispose of collected fluid waste.
The Serres sales team introduces the new Serres Nemo to conference attendees and discusses cleaner, safer fluid waste disposal.
A Nurse’s Role in Patient Safety
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 behaviors 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. Serres met with nurses and OR staff to show them how safer fluid waste disposal can prevent the spread of infection to patients, and to themselves.
The New and Improved OR Excellence Conference
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. Serres is already looking forward to the conference next year, which will be held in New Orleans.
