need for mid-procedure introductions; people immediately know who
you are and why you're there — and that has increased staff's
response time and also reduced potential safety issues. Plus, we've
found that communicating by first names helps people feel more
empowered to speak up.
The embroidered caps serve a dual purpose. Staff appreciate the
recognition aspect of the personalized caps, which the hospital will
provide free-of-charge to all staff who are required to don surgical
attire, including surgical processing techs and orderlies. From an
administrative perspective, it helps with standardization. People can
only have their name and title on the caps and can't write something
ridiculous like, say, "Sarah Queen of the World." Plus, the caps are
reusable. People don't have to bother with the tape and Sharpie every
time they enter an OR.
If you're thinking about going the embroidered route, talk to infec-
tion control to make sure you won't violate your facility's surgical
attire policy.
Sarah Hirx, MSN, RN, CNOR
Stanford Health Care
San Mateo, Calif.
sarah.hirx@gmail.com
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