ORNAC
National
conference

We welcome you to the virtual edition of the 28th ornac national conference. The virtual conference will be held June 2-4, 2023, and will be accessible to all registered delegates to view until December 1, 2023.

You rise to the challenge every day of helping patients with less help and longer hours, to perform miracles every day. No wonder you feel tired. You know all about self-care
and eating well and exercising, but there is one ingredient you may have missed in your quest to find work-life balance. Seize the moment. and regain your kindergarten connection with your creativity*. Small creative acts, like making a meal, finding a new way to rip tape, or planting a flower. Take the leap to engage 5 easy daily habits as a balm for stress, and an elixir for confidence in uncertainty. It’s now or never, make your move to create positive change. *no arts and crafts required

Surgical site infections are the most common type of health care–associated infection  among surgical patients, and they are the third leading cause of hospital-acquired  infections in Canada, accounting for 77% of infection-related patient deaths. Data from  the Ontario Surgical Quality Improvement Network suggest that the rate of SSIs was  decreasing between 2019 and 2021, but increased in 2022 to 3.48%, likely due to  addressing surgical backlogs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The quality standard provides an evidence-based resource outlining what high-quality  care looks like for people who have a surgical procedure that requires an incision. The  advisory committee composed of experts (people with lived experience, clinicians,  administrators) prioritized seven areas for improvement.  

Consultations highlighted barriers to implementation, and based on these findings, we  developed implementation priorities to guide practice change. Seven quality statements  were created, and organizations can implement one or more to decrease rates of surgical site infections.

Perioperative nurses ensure that their patients receive safe & reliable care, often at the expense of their own safety. Systematic underreporting of occupational sharps injuries continues to occur, despite regulatory mandates and ORNAC standards. There are serious risks that hospitals are not effectively implementing injury prevention strategies, as the extent of the problem hasn’t been well documented, and investment in safety is usually based on reported injury statistics.

A literature review has been undertaken to examine why sharps injuries are underreported, which uncovered several individual and organizational factors. Key recommendations will be provided for perioperative leaders to advocate for an improvement in OR safety climate, including auditing current practices, gaining management commitment, communicating collaboratively, improving sharps training programs, & investing in safety-engineered devices.

A safe environment for the patient and team members requires everyone to feel empowered to report injuries. Otherwise, safety concerns will continue to go unnoticed & unfixed