Storage units and carts may first appear to be ubiquitous, unimportant items when compared to the scopes and other medical instruments that make endoscopy possible, but they play an essential role in the ability of nurses and techs to do their jobs well. Carts can mobilize equipment that would otherwise have to be on-site, all the time, getting in ...

EVALUATING AND PURCHASING SUPPLIES for the endoscopy suite can be a challenge. What are the best practices for this? How does the facility evaluate and select the appropriate products? Who must be involved in the decision and evaluation? What kind of information do they need to provide to manufacturers? "Ihave spent the last 14 years of my career providing ...

Whether a new gastroenterology (GI) suite is built from scratch or undergoes an extensive upgrade, the options are many. New, high-tech equipment and computerized patient records can be costly in terms of money, but lucrative in terms of results. However, the process of building a new GI suite is not without its pitfalls. Following guidelines from both manufacturers and nurses ...

When it becomes time to purchase costly equipment for an endoscopy or gastroenterology (GI) unit, the considerations are many. What are the best practices for selecting and purchasing capital equipment for these departments? What options are available for cash-strapped facilities? Stephanie Mearns, RN, MN, is the vice president of patient care services for Century City Doctors Hospital in Los Angeles, ...

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT is always a challenge for healthcare workers. How do we, as leaders, help our staff become more aware of supply costs while teaching them to be conservative in the use of them? These were questions I asked myself, when during a single ERCP, my entire inventory was wiped out. I understand it was a very difficult ERCP; I ...