At this point, it wasn t like we were asked to bring these two units together. It was inevitable. Hospital employees saw their world changing. Among the spine care teams, this pivotal event made their work move at an even more rapid pace. The teams got to know what others were doing because we had data that confidentially allowed us to view everyone s progress.
Surgeons are competitive types.
So their desire to be the best was a great motivator for them to find new ways to make a high quality system. For instance, surgical trays are fairly standardized. Schedulers now have a form to review and check-off the surgical needs for particular cases ahead of time. This organizes surgical preparation and reduces delays. Surgical team leaders, typically nurses, take a leadership role in ensuring that time is used efficiently and surgeons are never idle.