SAGES FUSE Surgical Training Program Aims to Reduce OR Fires and Enhance Safety Around Operating Room Use of Energy Devices
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2014 -- The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons today launched the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy™ or the FUSE program designed to educate surgeons and affiliated staff about the safe use of surgical energy-based devices in the operating room, endoscopic suite and other procedural areas. The FUSE program meets a crucial gap in surgical education as, heretofore, no formal training program has existed that promotes safety in the operating room (OR) when using surgical devices.
“One safety issue the FUSE program addresses is surgical fires which occur several hundred times in the United States annually,” said Dr. Daniel B. Jones, chair of the FUSE Task Force. “It is important to note that approximately two-thirds of these OR fires involve electrosurgical equipment.”
The gap in OR safety prompted the U.S Food and Drug Administration in 2011 to initiate a “Preventing Surgical Fires” initiative to increase awareness. Around that same time, SAGES formed the FUSE Task Force, with participation by experts from the Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN), the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, and American Urological Association, to tackle the problem from a didactic perspective.
“We needed this collaboration to evaluate our professional perspectives on fire safety” said Linda Groah, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, Executive Director/CEO of AORN. “In the OR, the surgeon provides the heat source, the anesthesiologist provides the gases and the nurse controls the fuel. Now we share a common educational platform with a complete understanding of each other’s role. Cross-functional education and shared curriculum lead to better outcomes in surgery and a safer environment for the healthcare professionals.”
The FUSE training program includes an interactive web-based multimedia-enhanced didactic curriculum that is available free on-line at http://www.fundamentals-didactics.com and covers a number of topics including the fundamental principles of electrosurgical devices, practical aspects of commonly used energy devices in various settings, integration of energy systems with other devices, as well as prevention of operating room fires. A FUSE certification exam to ensure that learners have acquired the knowledge appropriate to the use of surgical energy devices is also an integral part of the program.
“Today’s launch of FUSE comes on the heels of the 10th anniversary of SAGES Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery™ (FLS) program,” said Dr. L. Michael Brunt, SAGES President. “Our experience with FLS paved the way for the creation of FUSE, a critical tool that should be part of any formal OR training,” Dr. Brunt said.
The FUSE program is directed toward practicing surgeons regardless of specialty, surgical nurses, and other Allied Health personnel who work in the operating room and other procedural areas. Testing for the FUSE certification exam will be available at regional FUSE Test Centers, the SAGES Annual Meeting, the ACS Clinical Congress and specially designated FUSE testing events. For a list of FUSE Test Centers please click here.
For more information about the FUSE program, visit http://www.fuseprogram.org
About SAGES
The mission of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) is to improve quality patient care through education, research, innovation and leadership, principally in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery. SAGES is a leading surgical society, representing a worldwide community of over 6,000 surgeons that can bring minimal access surgery, endoscopy and emerging techniques to patients worldwide. The organization sets the clinical and educational guidelines on standards of practice in various procedures, critical to enhancing patient safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.sages.org.
Mary Cohen, SAGES, http://www.sages.org, (310)-437-0554 Ext: 116, [email protected]
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