Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

2018 Salary Survey - Outpatient Surgery Magazine - January 2019

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/1070699

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 49 of 124

5 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 restricted and restricted areas," reads the guideline (osmag.net/Zyx7KJ), available for public comment until Feb. 22. Many accused AORN of trying to ban traditional skull caps and force OR personnel to wear bouffant caps a couple years ago. Not true. AORN's attire guideline stated that perioperative personnel should cover their head and ears in the OR, but it didn't specify the type or style of head covering that should be worn. Yet some misconstrued "cover scalp, hair and beards" with "but not with a skull cap." The confusion likely stemmed from AORN's rebuttal to the American College of Surgeons's (ACS) 2016 endorsement of skull caps, hailing them as "symbolic of the surgical profession" and saying that it was acceptable for "only a limited amount of hair" on the nape of the neck and "modest sideburns" to be left uncovered by surgeons wearing skull caps. AORN challenged the ACS's tacit approval of exposing the nape of the neck and sideburns. AORN also took umbrage with "wearing a particular head covering based on its symbolism," saying nation- wide practice recommendations should be evidence-based. Many mistook that as an indictment against skull caps. "Several types of evidence exist," AORN wrote, "that support recommendations that perioperative personnel cover their head and ears in the OR." That much hasn't changed, nor has the answer to the skullcap- or-bouffant question. The type of hair covering is still each peri- operative team member's choice, says AORN, just as it's always been. So long as you cover scalp, hair and beards when entering the semi-restricted and restricted areas. — Dan O'Connor

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers - 2018 Salary Survey - Outpatient Surgery Magazine - January 2019