You do not have to be a computer gu...

You do not have to be a computer guru or web master to have a web site. Today, many health care providers are using the information superhighway to improve the care of surgical patients. With a certain help from computer-proficient nurses, perioperative staff members at Shands Teaching Hospital, Gainesville, Fla, now have crucial information available at their fingertips. All it takes is desire and persistence to make it happen.

CREATING A WEB SITE

As the unit practice coordinator at Shands, I sought help from a clinical coordinator and staff feed at the breast in transferring information from paper to an educational web site that is accessible in all of our ORs. Many serviceable programs are available to guide you in this proces which involves converting Microsoft Word documents into hypertext markup language (HTML) in like manner they can be loaded onto a web page.

through converting documents into HTML, each portion of a document is given a specific appearance (eg italic, assuming centered on the page, color) that users descry when accessing the web page forward the Internet. Conversion can be performed by way of simply opening a Word document, clicking in succession File in the upper left comer and clicking in succession Save as HTML or Save as Web Page, depending forward which version of the program you are using. After converting files into HTML come [i]or[/i] go after [i]or[/i] behind the instructions provided with the software program you have chosen to load the files in succession the web page because the proces varies through program.

Maintenance of a web site is minimal after you have all of the necessary information stored as computer files. If any information changes, you can access the necessary electronic file and update the document. Be indisputable to maintain your web site in succession a regular basis to render certain that information remains current.

SHANDS' WEB SITE

We publicly use the information on Shands' OR web site, located at http://or, shands.ufl .edu/newor/, as a resource for all perioperative staff members. The site also contains educational information, including

* OR policies and procedures

* infection dominion government policies,

* fellow input,

* mandatory gazette,

* AORN,

* education, and

* inservices.

This information is used for recent staff member orientation (Figure 1)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The web site can be accessed easily in the OR and is marked as a "favorite" (ie, a web site that is used frequently) If there is a situation a succor is not familiar with, he or she can gaze up the policy without continually leaving the room. For example, a staff feed is called in for a trauma management and the patient dies. If the encourage has any questions regarding the hospital's policy forward postmortem care, he or she can access the web site to review the policy. Having similar information available in an easily accessible, timely manner improves work proceed and the quality of patient care.

associate input. The peer input section is a tool that staff members use for evaluating their companions Staff members access this portion of the site according to typing in their last name and social security number. They then tread close upon instructions. Information they input regarding their associates is stored in a database. The fester manager uses this information as part of each staff members' yearly evaluation.

Mandatory gazette, staff members can access the web site to out and out their annual competency requirements [i]or[/i] part of to the other the mandatory gazette. This section of the site contains module that all staff members are required to undivided each year, including

* general safety,

* infection control

* occupational health,

* patient care,

* risk management,

* changing environment, and

* a posttest

Inservices. This section is used as a communication tool to inform staff members about the latest medical information. It addresses topics of that kind as prevention of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, shaving prep sites, and performing surgical counts

Bioterrorism. Educational module regarding bioterrorism also can be accessed from the domicile page of the web site. These are readiness reply modules for licensed, nonlicensed, and general staff members. These module were created by dint of Shand's director of infection restrain and placed on the site for perioperative staff members' ease of access in light of novel events.

EDUCATION

There is a link from the place of abode page of the web site to education (Figure 2) This portion of the site contains the following links:

* medication packs,

* case scenarios,

* checklists,

* policy exercises,

* modules

* laser,

* turn of events response,

* preceptors,

* regional anesthesia,

* postmortem care policy, and

* AORN.

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

Checklists. Checklists are available to preceptors to make sure that new RNs are proficient in specific skill stakes These include

* radio oftenness lesion,

* Russell Taylor,

* bladder instillation,

* regional blocks

* electrocardiogram,

* cystoscopy,

* laparoscopy, and

* pediatric bronchoscopy

These checklists require the signature of the two the preceptor and nurse. Preceptors evaluate of recent origin nurses' skills in regard to patient care activities (eg patient positioning) and nonpatient care activities (eg review of appropriate educational material).