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S U R G I C A L
A C C E S S
E
L
Jason Meehan
Give Surgeons the Access They Need
D
POSITION TO SUCCEED
Spending a few extra minutes
on positioning patients pays off
in the end.
Better exposure translates to faster and safer surgery.
P
roper patient positioning isn't just about
preventing pressure injuries. "Patient safety
Daniel Cook
Executive Editor
is always the first priority, but you also
have to realize that positioning needs to provide surgeons with
optimal views of the surgical site," says Jay Bowers, BSN, RN,
CNOR, TNCC, surgical services educator at West Virginia University Hospitals in
Morgantown. "Focus on what will give the surgeon the optimal exposure they
need to perform the procedure."
Easier, shorter, safer
Eric Crabtree, MD, says some surgical teams don't grasp the difference between
good and limited surgical access. Dr. Crabtree, a staff anesthesiologist for
Essentia Health and the Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center in Baxter, Minn., points
out that proper patient positioning lets surgeons reach the operative area more
effectively and with less strain, which helps speed cases along and, in turn,
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SUPPLEMENT
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | J A N U A R Y 2014
