New Decade, New Design for the AORN Journal

Seifert, Patricia C.

doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2009.10.019

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Volume 91, Issue 1 , Pages 4-6, January 2010

New Decade, New Design for the AORN Journal

Article Outline

Useful Material
A Redesign that Reflects Current Trends
- A New Size
- Eco-friendly and Advertiser-friendly
References
Copyright

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From its first issue in 1963, the AORN Journal has focused on the goal of providing “useful, current material to operating room nurses everywhere, in large medical centers and in tiny rural hospitals.”¹^(p10) That objective has remained constant during the past 47 years, but in order to remain useful and current, the AORN Journal must change to reflect newer concepts, practices, and communication mechanisms.

Conceptually, surgery has evolved into “operative and other invasive procedures” and OR nurses have made the transition to “perioperative nurse providers of care.” Perioperative practice has expanded into interventional suites and embraced endovascular, video-assisted, and minimally invasive techniques. Newer communication modalities include electronic, web-based portals that open exciting vistas for nurses and patients alike; podcasts; and blogs that deliver up-to-date information, as well as social networking sites (eg, Facebook, Twitter) where participants can share ideas and seek advice. So what has the AORN Journal done that is both useful and current?

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Useful Material

The world is shrinking in many ways, but it is also exploding in an ever-expanding array of information and knowledge. We want to ensure that no one is left out. With this in mind, we've made some recent additions to the print AORN Journal and the Journal web site.

Tapping into Technology

To help readers learn to navigate new computer technology, we introduced the Tapping into Technology column in the December 2009 AORN Journal.² This month, Jennifer Brusco, AORN associate editor, discusses how to surf the AORN Congress microsite, the Congress News Online homepage, and the Congress Voices blog.³ Future Tapping into Technology columns will show readers how to navigate other electronic sources of information. Electronically challenged individuals (and that comes close to describing your current Editor-in-Chief) no longer need to rely solely on the neighbors' children, younger family members, or tech-savvy colleagues. Moreover, our patients are tapping into the technology and we have a professional responsibility to understand both the medium and the message if we are to serve effectively as patient advocates. Tell us which related topics would be of interest to you, and send us your suggestions and technology questions.

Continuing Education

The first “Home Study Program” was conceived by Pat Palmer, RN, MS, former AORN Journal editor, who introduced continuing education credit for Journal articles in 1984.⁴ Although we no longer refer to the Journal's CE offerings by the original name, we have expanded the number of CE contact hours available as a service to readers. Starting this month, the popular Clinical Issues column will provide CE contact hours. Additionally, we will offer CE contact hours for some of the Journal's other regular columns that meet the criteria for CE content established by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Topic Collections

Topic collections, introduced online in October 2009, offer evidence-based articles on subjects such as pressure ulcers, competency, safety, and other pertinent issues. The collections can be accessed from the left-hand side of the AORN Journal home page (http://www.aornjournal.org) and will be expanded into other topic areas. Please let us know what topics you would like to see.

Pre-press Online Articles

Our first pre-press publication (ie, published online ahead of print), went online in October 2009.⁵ The article by Kay Ball, PhD, RN, CNOR, FAAN, on the H1N1 virus, provides useful information for readers facing personal challenges and institutional constraints related to this flu virus. The topic is of sufficient importance that we wanted to get the information to readers as quickly as possible as a public service. We believe that this expedited process reflects both AORN's and the AORN Journal's commitment to members and colleagues.

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A Redesign that Reflects Current Trends

In her editorial describing the Journal's updated appearance in 1994, Beverly P. Giordano, RN, MS, stated that “a publication's design should reflect the identity of its readers. Times have changed and so have your practice settings.”⁶^(p17) As the AORN Journal enters a new decade, it is putting on a modern face and expanding its content.

A New Size

The importance of making the Journal easier to read was noted by Nancy Girard, PhD, RN, FAAN, in her editorial on the occasion of the Journal's new look in 2003.⁷ The most obvious change in the 2010 redesign is the resizing of the Journal from 7 inches by 10 inches to the larger 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Enlarging the size has expanded our ability to make the Journal's pages more readable and incorporate new and interesting designs. Larger, crisp type makes reading easier. Figures do not need to be compressed to fit the smaller size, and presentation of information does not have to be limited to formats dictated by size (think of a small room where the furniture fits only one way). Transforming the appearance of the Journal has also enabled us to bring you a fresh color palette and more white space (to allow the eyes to rest).

I think of this change in the context of moving to a new or refurbished OR. Many of us became quite used to our “old” ORs. We learned to navigate the crowded hallways, the small rooms, and the often drab walls. When we moved, the change was at first startling, but we soon learned to enjoy the space, the colors, and the room for growth—technologically, intellectually, and clinically. Sure, it took some getting used to, but we learned quickly to enjoy not only the “newness” but also the opportunities to practice more efficiently and effectively.

Eco-friendly and Advertiser-friendly

The new size offers environmentally and financially sound advantages as well. The Journal is now more “green” because less paper is lost now that it is no longer necessary to trim the standard, manufactured paper size to the smaller size. The change promotes our stewardship of natural resources.

Another important redesign consideration is that the size change is more advertiser-friendly because advertisements no longer have to be specially designed (read, more costly) to fit the former, smaller size. This consideration is important to our industry supporters who display products and services benefitting readers and their patients.

Many individuals played an important role in this redesign: you the readers; the Journal Editorial Board members, participants in AORN's 2009 Leadership Conference in Denver, Colorado, who viewed the design changes and gave us valuable feedback; and AORN's Publications Department staff members who worked tirelessly with their Elsevier colleagues to bring you the new AORN Journal. This initiative has been an excellent example of teamwork. We look forward to your reactions as well as your ideas for new and innovative features so that we can remain useful and current. Send your comments by email to aornjournal@aorn.org.

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