Study proves OR nurses’ purchasing power Who has the purchasing power in the OR?

AORN has always believed that the OR nurse i s the most influential in purchasing supplies and equipment in the operating room, but others have challenged this. Hos- pital administration has become more com- plex and other health care personnel have come on the scene. There have been con- flicting claims.

AORN decided to obtain some facts. Sev- eral months ago, the Board of Directors commissioned an independent study to de- termine the OR supervisor’s impact on the specification and purchase of operating room supplies and equipment. To ensure that the study would be unbiased, it was conducted by an outside firm, Wilson, Wechsler & Associates of 10s Angeles.

This firm didn’t ask nurses or physicians who makes the decisions; it asked hospital purchasing agents. A questionnaire was sent to 758 hospital purchasing agents and more than 35% responded.

What did the study reveal?’ The OR nurse or supervisor most often

initiates requests for OR supplies. The sec- ond most frequent initiator i s the purchasing director followed closely by the head of surgery.

M Edif orial

The RN is even more influential in initiat- ing OR equipment purchases. The head of surgery i s the second most important initi- ator, the purchasing director third.

On final selection for OR supplies and equipment, the OR supervisor heads the list.

The study concludes: There i s no doubt that the OR supervisor has more responsibility for initiation of purchase of OR supplies and equipment than any other staff employee of the hospital. The closest anyone comes i s the purchasing director and the OR super- visor i s alleged (by purchasing) to be the most important factor in two out of three cases.

Consequently, the technician and even the head of surgery have become rela- tively less important in today‘s purchas- ing environment. The OR supervisor i s the major buying force no matter what the size or the type of hospital.

There are good, solid reasons why the OR supervisor and OR nurse continue to have the most influence on purchasing. Surgical supplies and equipment are a large proportion of any OR budget and contribute directly to the size of the pa- tient’s bill. The OR supervisor i s responsible for inventory control. She must ensure the necessary supplies are available to perform surgery, and at the same time she must see

AORN Journal, March 1975, Vol 21, No 4 573

that there i s no waste, mismanagement, or overstocking,

The OR staff nurse i s influential in testing and actual use of products in the OR. She is the one who knows first hand whether the product i s performing satisfactorily.

A purchasing agent, who i s not actually in the operating room, cannot make these judgments and decisions, nor can nonpro- fessional personnel.

The professional operating room nurse has the professional background and the education to make decisions about the pur- chase of supplies and equipment. In exer- cising this part of her job, she ensures that appropriate and safe products are avail- able for the patient and at the same time controls cost. B In what can only be described as a low blow for nursing, President Ford vetoed the Nursing Training Act on January 3.

Under the Nurse Training Act, nursing students receive assistance through loans, scholarships, and traineeships. Institutions receive capitation grants and other support.

In a memo to nursing leaders, Connie Holleran, deputy executive director, Amer- ican Nurses' Association, urges visits to every member of Congress to discuss con- cern about the veto as well as nursing's role in national health insurance and other health care areas. She points out that the 1975 Congressional calendar will be full with the already scheduled health bills as well as the 1974 vetoed health bills.

We urge you to write, wire, or phone your concern to your Congressmen.

With this issue of the Journal, Pat Rogers writes her final "President's mes- sage." This monthly column is an important communication between the president and all the members.

We appreciate that writing i s hard work and recognize that AORN presidents often approach the task of writing this column with trepidation. Pat's messages have been meaningful to the membership, and in spite of other demands on her time, she has al-

ways observed that cardinal rule of journal- ism-meeting deadlines.

Her many contributions to the Journal are only a small part of what she has done as president, but they reflect the spirit she has brought to this office. Thank you, Pat.

€/;nor S Schrader Ediior

Notes I. Wilson, Wechsler & Associates, "Purchasing

power of the OR nurse,'' The Association of Op- erating Room Nurser, Inc, November 1974.

New fechnique in ear reconsfrucfion Ear reconstruction has always been a difficult problem for the surgeon. However, a new technique developed by Janusz Bardach, MD, an Iowa City, Iowa, otolaryngologist, promises increased success over former methods.

Dr Bardach uses a polyester mesh form that acts as a base for the tissue to grow on. The mesh form may be molded in the shape of the patient's good auricle, or in cases where no auricle exists, a suitable shape i s constructed.

are preschool children with a missing auricle as the result of a birth defect. Prior procedures were not long lasting because other synthetic materials did not maintain their proper configuration over a period of time, and human tissues, such as cartilage, were subject to absorption or shrinkage in many cases.

The Bardach technique, in use since 1962, has been successful in 174 cases. In the last six years, 59 operations were performed, and complications occurred in only two cases. Dr Bardach reports he now considers the technique to be routine with a high expectation of success.

Most patients receiving the treatment

574 AORN Journal, March 1975, Vol 21, N o 4