PORTAGE, Mich., USA, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Stryker (NYSE:SYK), a global leader in medical technologies, announced its launch of the next generation of SurgiCount+ within its sponge management portfolio. Now integrated with Stryker’s Triton technology, SurgiCount+ addresses two key challenges: retained surgical sponges and blood loss assessment. Integrating these previously separate digital solutions provides the added benefit of a more efficient, streamlined workflow for hospitals.

Maternal mortality has been rising in the U.S. for decades,1 with approximately 50,000 cases of severe maternal morbidity occurring each year.2 Notably, 70% of pregnancy-related deaths due to hemorrhage are preventable.3 Stryker’s Triton software includes AI technology that can differentiate blood from other fluids and a Bluetooth scale that batch weighs blood-soaked items to help assess blood loss. This provides hospital staff with real-time information to help coordinate the clinical team’s hemorrhage response and make informed patient care decisions.

Surgical sponges continue to be the number one retained surgical item with 88% of retained surgical items occurring with a false correct count.4 For nurses trying to locate a missing sponge in the operating room (OR), that can take up to 10 minutes on average.5 Stryker’s SurgiCount+ software helps address these problems by featuring a wireless reader that counts, tracks and locates surgical sponges in the OR. RFID-tagged sponges enable unique identification, eliminating false-correct duplicate or unknown counts.

“We are committed to helping keep caregivers and patients safe from harm,” said Brandon Jominy, vice president and general manager of Stryker’s Surgical Technologies business. “Integrating our SurgiCount+ and Triton technologies on one platform will set a new industry standard for quantifying blood loss and continuing to help reduce retained surgical sponges in the OR.”

Additionally, recent studies show that nurse burnout is affecting more than half of all U.S. nurses.6 By integrating these two technologies into one solution, it provides additional benefits to hospitals and staff which includes:

Helping save time by standardizing clinical protocols for chartingSimplifying workflows and aggregating case data with backend dataHelping reduce manual data entry errors through real-time EMR integrationTracking and communicating patient information with one seamless workflow

For more information about Stryker’s SurgiCount+ integrated with Triton please visit safeor.com/products/surgicount-triton.

About Stryker
Stryker is a global leader in medical technologies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually. More information is available at stryker.com.

Media contact
Beth Sizemore
Sr. Director, Strategic Communications
beth.sizemore@stryker.com

1. Hoyert DL. Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2021. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:124678

2. Callaghan, W.M., Creanga, A.A. and Kuklina, E.V. (2012) “Severe maternal morbidity among delivery and postpartum hospitalizations in the United States,” Obstetrics & Gynecology,120(5), pp. 1029–1036. doi:10.1097/aog.0b013e31826d60c5.

3. Building U.S. Capacity to Review and Prevent Maternal Deaths. (2018). Report from nine maternal mortality review committees. https://www.cdcfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/ReportfromNineMMRCs.pdf

4. Gawande, A. A., Studdert, D. M., Orav, E. J., Brennan, T. A., & Zinner, M. J. (2003). Risk factors for retained instruments and sponges after surgery. The New England Journal of Medicine, 348(3), 229–235. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa021721 

5. Double-blinded survey of 154 Operating Room Nurses from 154 different facilities across the United States. Data on file internally. Conducted August 2020.

6. Rotenstein, L.S., Brown, R., Sinsky, C. et al. The Association of Work Overload with Burnout and Intent to Leave the Job Across the Healthcare Workforce During COVID-19. J GEN INTERN MED 38, 1920–1927 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08153-z

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SOURCE Stryker

Key Findings:

Brands are pumping out more choices than consumers need or want.Consumers streamline their needs spending to enable discretionary spend.Brands and retailers need to revert to EQ and great merchandising.

CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Kearney Consumer Institute (KCI), an internal think tank of global strategy and management consultancy Kearney, today released a consumer research report that upends much of the conventional wisdom around brand proliferation, over-reliance on data, and consumer choices. Based on survey data from 14,000 consumers across the US, Europe, and APAC, Keeping Up with the Consumer examines buyers’ unpredictable, seemingly quixotic behaviors, identifies the underlying tension points that explain them, and concludes that brands are massively under-accounting for the human element that drives purchase decisions.

“Brands have more data than ever about consumer demographics, behavior, spending, and opinions. But we still often categorize consumer behavior as ‘unpredictable.’ To understand why, our research found three key consumer tensions that help explain this behavior,” notes KCI lead Katie Thomas. “As options and access grow, consumers’ lives are only getting more complicated. Sometimes we get lost in one side of a narrative, without realizing the strain it puts on consumers.” The research identified the following three friction points:

Options vs. overload: Consumers seem to expect a product that suits each type of skin, diet, or fitness need. Yet, in many major categories, most consumers believe there’s already plenty to choose from—if not too much.

Curation vs. control: Two out of three consumers say they like making all their decisions themselves. But it’s logical that consumers want (and need) some level of curation to make sense of all their options.

Facts vs. feelings: Consumers want to “do their own research” (and they trust themselves more than they trust brands and institutions), but have limited reserves of time, energy, and motivation.

Keeping Up with the Consumer explores consumer shifts since 2016, when the KCI released The Future Consumer. Then, brands were focusing on the power of influence, a socially driven approach centered on “authenticity.” However, as the “influence” approach became more common, it lost some appeal and started to feel less authentic. Meantime, dramatic changes to the consumer landscape—from COVID-19 to political unrest to the emergence of new social media and shopping platforms—helped consolidate this massive shift.

The research suggests that retailers and brands aren’t striking the right balance between facts versus feelings, curation versus control, and too many choices. Noted Thomas, “When retailers and brands balance the tension, applying emotional intelligence and great merchandising, they will better navigate the mindset of the future consumer to address their needs.”

“Here, we see the push–pull between consumers and brands,” Thomas says. “Sometimes brands should lead consumers forward; but sometimes, the better choice is following consumer behavior. The key is understanding the complex, nuanced, and sometimes unexpected tensions that will crop up next.”

Read the full report by clicking this link.

For more information, or to schedule an interview with Katie Thomas or receive a copy of the Keeping Up with the Consumer report, please contact:

MKPR/Meir Kahtan
+1 917-864-0800
mkahtan@rcn.com

About the Kearney Consumer Institute

The Kearney Consumer Institute (KCI) perspective. By leveraging consumer behavior data and insights, the KCI helps generate conversation, and ultimately action, around how to address consumer needs with meaningful benefits.

Using a consumer-first lens the KCI looks at today’s consumer revolution not by thinking about consumers, but by thinking like consumers. Our consumer-centric approach includes simple, precise, plain-language conversations on topics like trends, consumer communities, convenience, loyalty, service, fair pricing, and product development and technologies.

About Kearney
Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm. For nearly 100 years, we have been a trusted advisor to C-suites, government bodies, and nonprofit organizations. Our people make us who we are. Driven to be the difference between a big idea and making it happen, we work alongside our clients to regenerate their businesses to create a future that works for everyone. www.kearney.com

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SOURCE Kearney

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — GovInvest, the pioneer of compensation analytics technology for government agencies, is celebrating a record third quarter in 2024, marked by significant new customer growth, regional expansion, and industry recognition. Over the past quarter (July-September 2024), GovInvest achieved an impressive 125% quarter-over-quarter increase driven by new client partnerships and strengthened relationships with existing customers through expanded solutions.

With its comprehensive suite of labor costing, budgeting, and compensation analytics solutions, GovInvest empowers public sector organizations to streamline operations, bridge the gap between HR and finance, and make smarter workforce decisions. By providing real-time, data-driven insights, the platform helps agencies attract top talent, optimize budgets, and improve employee satisfaction—critical advantages during today’s labor crisis.

Nationwide Customer Growth
Q3 2024 client wins and expansions included new deals in California, Georgia, Ohio, Rhode Island, Iowa, Texas, and Washington. These recent additions highlight GovInvest’s continued momentum in its core California market, where cities like San Bernardino, Beverly Hills, and San Marcos have deepened their use of GovInvest solutions. At the same time, the company is experiencing significant geographic growth, with new clients across diverse regions such as Georgia, Texas, and Washington, demonstrating its expanding national footprint and ability to address the labor costing and budgeting needs of government agencies nationwide.

“We’re excited to see such strong customer growth this past quarter in every geographic market, particularly in the southeast and pacific northwest,” said Michael Fryke, CEO of GovInvest. “This expansion underscores the trust that public sector agencies have in GovInvest’s ability to deliver powerful, data-driven solutions that address their labor costing and budgeting needs. We’re proud to partner with these organizations as they tackle today’s workforce challenges and plan for future success.”

Industry Recognition and Strategic Partnerships
GovInvest’s industry recognition further solidified its leadership in the government services sector. The company was named to the 2024 Inc. 5000 list, ranking 95th in the Government Services sector. This prestigious recognition honors the fastest-growing private companies in America and highlights GovInvest’s rapid growth even amid inflationary pressures and labor market challenges.

“We are deeply humbled by the opportunity to not only make the Inc. 5000 list but to have earned a position within the top 100 Government Services companies,” said Michael Fryke, CEO of GovInvest. “Our success is driven by the dedication of our customers and team, who work tirelessly to provide cutting-edge solutions to help governments make smarter, data-driven workforce decisions.”

In addition, GovInvest announced a strategic partnership with CPS HR Consulting, designed to deliver advanced, technology-driven solutions for compensation consulting. This collaboration further positions GovInvest as a leader in the government services sector, enhancing its value proposition for public sector agencies seeking smarter workforce strategies.

Strengthening Industry Ties
GovInvest’s involvement in key industry events continued to drive its momentum in Q3 2024, including being selected as a sponsor for the PSHRA (Public Sector HR Association) Annual Conference in September. GovInvest showcased its commitment to supporting human resource and public sector professionals with ongoing education and technological innovation.

Customer Webinars Resonating with Agencies
GovInvest’s client webinars also gained traction, with a particular focus on labor costing and workforce planning in the face of inflation and wage compression. The “Effective Labor Negotiations in an Era of Union Empowerment” webinar, featuring Chris Moses, Director of Human Resources for the City of Columbus, OH, provided public agencies with actionable insights into navigating today’s complex labor landscape with GovInvest’s tools. The session resonated with many participants, reinforcing GovInvest’s position as a thought leader in the government analytics space.

“With GovInvest, we’re able to show the unions exactly where we stand financially, making negotiations more transparent,” Moses said. “The trust that we’ve built through these accurate, real-time projections has been invaluable.”

Looking Ahead
As GovInvest looks ahead to continued growth, the company remains dedicated to providing the most advanced labor costing and compensation solutions for government agencies across the country. With a strong foundation of customer success and industry recognition, GovInvest is poised to drive further innovation and transformation in the public sector.

About GovInvest
Founded in 2014, GovInvest empowers over 1,000 public sector agencies nationwide to run their own labor, compensation, and benefits analysis at a fraction of the cost and time through powerful software solutions and hands-on consulting. With a commitment to transparency, efficiency, and equity, GovInvest empowers government leaders to make data-driven decisions, attract top talent, and enhance the effectiveness of their operations. To learn more, visit www.govinvest.com.

CONTACT: Christen Clegg, christen@govinvest.com

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SOURCE GovInvest