For every surgery with Surgical Direct’s Mobile Cataract Service, we provide a surgical coordinator. Having experienced, aware, cordial, and supportive help in the OR during surgery can make a big difference in the efficiency of surgery day. If you are part of a surgical team (or you are an ophthalmologist), chances are that you have experienced a day when other members of the OR have limited experience in cataract surgery. This is a common occurrence (to no one’s fault) based on how frequent an MD will bring cases to the facility, OR staff turnover, vacations, sick days, and more. Even if a scrub nurse is consistently ‘scrubbing’ eyes, it can take months for familiarity to set in, knowing the instruments by name, and the different dynamics of the case. Even at that point, knowing the equipment well enough to troubleshoot isn’t even on their radar.
From our experience, it’s actually the status-quo that many support staff teams in an OR have limited experience with cataract surgery unless they’ve been working directly with eyes for years. Even with years of experience, it’s not common knowledge for nurses to know the ins-and-outs of the procedure to the point where they are preemptively prepared for a lens change, extra viscoelastic, or a vit.
Cataract Coordinators Enhance Your OR
In no way do we intend to diminish the hard-working heroes of each and every OR we step into. The nursing and scrub staffs that we encounter daily are exceptionally hardworking and smart individuals, most having a wealth of surgical knowledge far greater than we possess at Surgical Direct. We honestly believe that!
The only difference (our unique advantage point) is that the Surgical Coordinators at Surgical Direct assist surgeons and staff with cataract surgery every single day. It’s through routine, repetition, and our highly-intensive training program that our surgical coordinators are equipped to provide the best cataract surgery support available.
Cataract Surgery Is What We Know.
Our coordinators are trained in:
- Phaco & Microscope Technology (annually, directly with the manufacturers)
- Equipment Failure and Troubleshooting
- IOL, Instrumentation, & Case Supplies (annually, directly with the manufacturers)
- Anatomy of the Eye
- Phaco Dynamics (Procedure & Cataract Surgery Techniques)
- Case Supply Management
- OR Protocols (annually)
- Workplace Safety (annually)
- Sterile Field Protocol (annually)
- And more
We don’t walk into the OR with a chip on our shoulder, acting like we know it all. We don’t operate that way. But we do know cataracts. We know surgical techniques. We learn doctor preferences quickly. We work hard to be punctual, prepared, preemptive, and positive.
We’ve found that arming our coordinators with knowledge equips them to better serve any OR team (no matter their experience level), and any surgeon, in any OR. Their can-do attitudes and helpful mindsets can increase eye team efficiency dramatically, not to mention an increase in safety for the patients and ease-of-mind for the surgeon from day one.
Experience our services first-hand by signing up for a free demo today!
