IN THE BAG Windy Hill Hospital's
circulating nurse Kathy Bigilin, RN, CNOR,
is in charge of starting antibiotic infusions.
Administer
Antibiotics
On Time,
Every Time
P
re-op prophylactic antibiotics
must be administered within 60
1. Rely on the circulator
minutes of initial surgical incisions
Does this sound familiar? In the hustle and
or procedure start times. Starting infusions
bustle of getting patients properly identified
even 1 minute too soon will require you to
and ready for transfer to the OR, and mak-
report that antibiotics weren't delivered on
ing sure needed paperwork is completed,
time. We've been using the program I'm
every member of our clinical team used to
about to describe for 5 years, and have
help confirm, hang and chart the appropri-
seen our monthly on-time start rates
ate antibiotic. But because so many hands
improve from less than 90% to 100%.
were involved in the process, the job didn't
Follow our lead, and you'll never have to
get done properly. Pre-op nurses said they'd
worry about improperly timed IV starts
start the antibiotics. Anesthesia providers
again.
promised they'd take care of it. Circulating
J A N U A R Y 2013 | S U P P L E M E N T
TO
O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E
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