Ideas That Work: Infection Prevention

AORN guidelines stipulate that hair should be clipped around surgical sites to reduce the risk of infection. To make sure pre-op staff properly clip the right areas, we filled a binder with procedure-specific pages that indicate where hair needs to be removed on patients before they undergo surgery. The pages contain directives and diagrams that highlight areas to clip as well as notes about the hair-removal preferences of individual surgeons. Pre-op staff say having the quick-reference guide available has increased their satisfaction with the hair clipping process.

Elizabeth Austin, DNP, RN, CNOR
Torrance (Calif.) Memorial Medical Center
[email protected]