Of course, proven best practices such as double-gloving, the neutral
zone and safety scalpels need surgeon support to be effective. That's
not always easy to accomplish, especially when it comes to use of a
neutral zone. The best way to get your surgeons to stick to your
sharps safety protocols often comes down to giving them the "whys"
behind your mandates — in as succinct a manner as possible. In other
words, the more clearly (and quickly) you can explain the need for
your sharps safety protocols, the more likely it is you'll get buy-in. For
her part, Ms. Larkin often uses the SBAR (Situation, Background,
Assessment and Recommendation) approach to explain safety proto-
cols because, as she puts it, most surgeons respond best to hard facts
backed by clinical evidence.
Room for
improvement
Amber H. Mitchell,
DrPH, MPH, CPH,
president and execu-
tive director of the
International Safety
Center in Houston,
Texas, points out that
this year is the 20
th
anniversary of the
Needlestick Safety and
Prevention Act, which
requires facilities to
identify, evaluate and
implement safer med-
ical devices. This
8 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0
viscotcs@viscot.com • www.viscot.com • 800.221.0658
Neutral Zone
®
Contact us for turnkey implementation kit
Autoclavable
can be re-used for hundreds of procedures
Meets all hands free passing recommendations
from OSHA, AORN & CDC
