Welcome to the new Outpatient Surgery website! Check out our login FAQs.
Ideas That Work: Infection Control
Slow Your Stroll During Surgery
OSD Staff
Publish Date: December 10, 2020   |  Tags:   Ideas That Work
NO ENTRY A simple sign keeps door openings to a minimum during surgery.   |   Barbara Wolaver

If you want to reduce foot traffic in operating rooms — traffic that can lead to increased surgical site infections, distractions, airflow disturbances and decreased efficiency — slide a Do Not Enter sign in laminated holders hung on OR doors. Thanks to the prominent signage, staff will stop and ask themselves if their reason for entering the room is truly necessary, or if what they need can wait or be communicated to members of the surgical team by phone.

Barbara Wolaver, BSN, RN, CNOR
Kaiser Permanente Tysons
McLean, Va.
[email protected]

DID YOU SEE THIS?

RELATED ARTICLES
 
Ideas That Work: Smart Solution
Solve the Waiting Room Turnover Puzzle
Ideas That Work: Guest Deejays
Let Patients Pick the OR Playlist
Ideas That Work: Art Project
Coloring Helps Staff Concentrate During Meetings
MORE FROM OUTPATIENT SURGERY
Always Prepared for MH
Interactive drills and clearly defined roles ensure staff are ready for a real-life emergency.
 

Many surgical professionals learn best by doing. If you bombard them with information about what to do in the event of a malignant hyperthermia (MH) emergency, but don't give them a chance to physically go over the many critical steps they need to take, chances are they won't be fully prepared when a real crisis hits. MH might be rare, but its...
A New Standard in Sinus Surgery
More surgeons want access to the precision and safety of image-guided navigation systems.
 

A few months ago, I operated on a patient with severe nasal polyps —a condition that caused significant discomfort and breathing issues. These polyps were recurrent from a previous surgery done by another surgeon who did not work with image-guided assistance. To clear out the sinuses and the nasal cavity, I performed a functional endoscopic...
A Simple Tool Makes Surgery Safer
Using checklists during pre-op time outs and post-op debriefings protects patients from harm.
 

No surgeon wakes up in the morning with the intention of performing a wrong-site surgery and yet these types of never events continue to happen, even with protocols and practices in place to prevent them. It's clear the inconsistent or improper use of checklists before and after surgery continues to be an issue at surgical facilities across the...