Press Releases

Virtual Operating Room Experience and Continuing Education Courses Address Efficiency, Safety Issues That Matter Most to OR Nurses

Philadelphia, March 17, 2011 — At the 58^th annual Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Congress, being held March 18 to 24 in Philadelphia, Cardinal Health will highlight its health care solutions, including its clinical expertise, that can help nurses drive better operating room (OR) outcomes.

As part of this expertise, Cardinal Health will host several continuing education activities focused on OR efficiency and safety. Key topics include:

Preference Card Management: Improving Clinical Efficiency and Patient Care – Surgeon preference cards provide the basis for business, financial and operational decisions and can play a critical role in the efficient management of perioperative suites. This session will address methods for improving clinical efficiency and patient care through effective preference card management. The course will examine the financial impact of poorly managed systems, placing special emphasis on costs associated with returns. Attendees can gather tips on how to assess existing card management systems as well as ones for card clean-up and effective maintenance.

Topical Skin Adhesives: Strong, Secure and Effective Wound Closure – Wound closure and healing are essential to optimal outcomes for all surgical patients, and the healing process is facilitated by proper closure of the surgical wound. This continuing education course will provide information regarding the advancements in topical skin adhesives in surgery and the clinical benefits of their use. The session will specifically focus on the family of butyl- and octyl-cyanoacrylate skin adhesives.

Double-gloving: Two Gloves Are Better Than One – As the requisite use of protective barriers in the OR has evolved, the use of gloves has become a more prevalent strategy for reducing the risk of exposure to infectious materials in the surgical practice setting. This session will discuss double-gloving as a means to help protect health care professionals and patients and will address implications including approaches to a change in practice and the identification of perceived barriers.

Retained Foreign Objects: The Cost of Leaving Things Behind – According to a study published in the Annals of Surgery in August 2008, discrepancies in the count of surgical instruments and sponges occur in 12.5 percent of surgeries – a reminder that retained foreign objects (RFOs) such as sponges and towels can result in costs for everyone involved. This study guide will help perioperative nurses understand the ramifications and liabilities of RFOs and allow them to explore current technology and recommended practices that will help them avoid and eliminate RFOs. The course also provides selected case studies which will provide the participant with the opportunity to synthesize information and evaluate workplace scenarios related to RFOs.

Pfiedler Enterprises is the sponsor of the continuing nursing education credits through the California Board of Registered Nursing. Each course is approved for two CE credits.

Beyond offering free CE activities, Cardinal Health will further support clinician education at its AORN Booth #2100 by highlighting health care solutions that drive cost-effectiveness and help improve quality outcomes. Attendees will be invited to visit a “virtual OR,” utilizing interactive kiosks to create a customized road map of the clinical implications, products and services that matter most to them. As part of these customized tours, attendees can learn how to:

• Improve efficiency via solutions like the Presource^® Procedure Pack Program, a surgical kitting process that helps customers increase productivity and maintain a high standard of patient care
• Increase safety and prevent sharps injuries with the thinnest double-glove system in the Cardinal Health portfolio, which couples a base layer of Esteem® Blue with Neu-Thera® synthetic polyisoprene powder-free surgical gloves and a top layer of Esteem® Micro surgical gloves.
• Help prevent the occurrence of retained foreign objects by utilizing the SurgiCount Safety-Sponge^® System, a comprehensive sponge counting and documentation system that helps prevent sponges and towels from unintentionally being left in patients during surgical procedures
• Protect clinicians and patients with clinician apparel and patient protection products such as the SmartGown™, RoyalSilk™ or Astound™ surgical gowns; Tiburon^® and Astound™ surgical drapes; and Secure-Gard^® and Insta-Gard^® masks
• Promote wound closure and healing with topical skin adhesives such as LiquiBand^®, a fast-setting, durable butyl adhesive
• Utilize safe, reliable and customizable anesthesia products
• Maintain an aseptic environment using sterility products such as Cardinal Health peel pouches
• Decrease the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens using the SAF-T Pump™ System, a liquid medical waste disposal system powered entirely by tap water that quickly and safely empties canisters into the sanitary sewer, eliminating the need for pouring

About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $96 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, improving efficiency and quality, and increasing profitability. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 60,000 locations each day. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #17 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 30,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com.