9 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 1 7
Slow Down, Save a Life
S
peed kills. It's true in sports as it is in surgery.
"Everyone's always in a hurry, and that's how acci-
dents happen," says Lori Simonetti, RN, nurse manag-
er at Urologic Specialists of New England in West
Warwick, R.I. The constant frenetic pace, she says, is
her biggest challenge when it comes to keeping her staff safe.
She's not alone. It's an everyday conundrum in health care, espe-
cially in the ambulatory surgery model built on speed and efficien-
cy. But where do you draw the line between fast and reckless,
between responsible and risky?
"Staff are constantly pushed by surgeons and anesthesia to go
faster, and that's when they're most at risk," says Lynne Pinkham,
RN, BSN, CAPA, of Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, Maine.
But there's a way to keep from being overwhelmed by the insa-
Keeping your staff safe is a challenge in the fast-paced
environment of same-day surgery. Jim Burger | Senior Editor
• WHAT'S THE RUSH? Can you keep up the pace and keep employees safe?