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Pushing For Change - July 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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

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air-filled pad distributes pressure and the foam dressing protects the skin against shear forces. • Knees and hips. Position the table so the hips are angled to 60 degrees and the knees are angled to 30 degrees. Use pillows to support under the knees. • Heels. Place gel, foam or air-filled or fluidized pressure redistribut- ing pads under the feet to lift the heels off the table surface. When positioning patients laterally with a bean bag positioner, make sure the device is clean, in good working order and free from leaks, suggests Ms. DiNobile. She recommends having a designated team member check for excessive pressure on male genitals and female breasts at regular intervals during surgery. Additionally, says Ms. DiNobile, make sure a staff member is assigned to hold the patient's head while securing the positioning aid. Post-op precautions Recheck patients' skin in recovery, looking for redness or signs of neurological injuries, and educate patients on how to self-assess for pressure-related complications when they return home, says Ms. Prevatt. Improving your patient positioning protocols should start outside of the OR, with your facility developing and implementing guidelines with input from your surgical team and PACU nurses, says Ms. DiNobile. "Don't wait for a poor outcome," she adds. "For the continu- ing safety of your patients, all surgical team members must be instructed on patient positioning risks and follow best practice on every patient, every day." OSM 5 6 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U L Y 2 0 2 0

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