One way we get our nurses motivated to maintain our SSI-reduction program is by posting compliance performance data for everyone to see right near the OR scrub sink. We post data such as individual compliance rates for normothermia and oxygenation. This gets the competitive juices flowing - no one wants a lower score than a colleague - and it keeps the importance of nosocomial infection prevention fresh in everyone's minds, including during shorter and clean procedures. Our hospital ranks in the 95th percentile nationally in terms of antibiotic prophylaxis and in the top 1 percent in oxygenation compliance.

Lisa Caffery, MS, RN, BC, CGRN
Epidemiology Specialist, Genesis Medical Center
Davenport, Iowa
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Remove throat pack as part of your swab count
To ensure the removal of the throat pack, our circulating RN documents it on the pre-operative count sheet. Doing this means it is included in the post-op count as well, and you won't forget to remove it.

Marc W. Michalowicz, DDS, MSc
Chief, Dental & Oral Surgery, Helen Hayes Hospital
West Haverstraw, N.Y.
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Never miss a date
Outlook, a program that is part of the Microsoft office package on most desktop computers, includes a calendar, e-mail, phone book and a place to keep notes and reminders. I open it every morning to check my e-mails and appointments, other than surgeries, that I have recorded on the calendar for each day. A reminder pops up to tell me when something is scheduled for that day or near future as soon as I open the program.

I can go forward to any month in this year or the next to add an appointment to the date book. So I put my fire drills in every quarter, my HVAC inspection every quarter and when each employee's PPD skin test for tuberculosis is due. I also keep track of when contracts need to be renewed through this program.

You may want to record the dates on paper or make a back-up disk as well, in case your computer goes down. But with this system, I always know what's coming, and I don't miss something important or fall behind on required drills.

Debbie Comerford, RN, BSN, CNOR
Director of Nursing/Administrator
Orthopaedic Surgery Center of Northwest Jersey
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More accurate small doses
When dispensing 10mcgm from a 100mcgm ampoule, dilute the contents of the ampoule until you have a total of 10cc - then, 1cc is equal to 10mcgm. This is not only a more accurate method of dispensing small doses, but you can save the rest for later. Your facility's policy may prohibit such a practice or you may find it difficult to monitor proper cleaning of the top of the vial; in this case, you should discard the unused portion.

Christy Therrien, RN
Administrator, Brookside Surgery Center
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