an adhesive and slowly roll it as you remove it. Never pull up or rip it
off quickly.
• Pick the right product. Silicone dressings and adhesives are much
gentler to remove than standard tape and bandages.
We emphasize and re-emphasize these pointers during annual com-
petencies, where staff practice removing various adhesive products
from overripe plums, tomatoes and peaches, which have the feel of
sensitive human skin. New surgeons and surgical residents must also
complete a 30-minute in-service on proper skin care. The nurse in
charge of the session applies both regular and silicone adhesives to
their arms at the beginning of the talk. At the end, the nurse has the
surgeons rip the adhesives off each other, so they get a (literal) sense
of why silicone is the better option and a (literal) feel for the impor-
tance of taking care of their patients' skin.
Tracy Willett, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CNOR
Natalie Trezza, MSN, RN, CNOR
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, N.Y.
willettt@hss.edu
trezzan@hss.edu
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 1
