2 3
A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT 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
Not every patient's calves are the same size, an
important point for your nurses to keep in mind when
fitting your patients with sequential compression
devices (SCDs). If the sleeve is too tight, it'll hurt the
calf muscles when it squeezes. Too loose, and it
won't prevent circulatory stasis. To make sure your
nurses are using the right-sized sleeves, have them
apply the SCD to a roll of paper towels. Full rolls sim-
ulate a bariatric patient's calves, while half-used
rolls could be an elderly patient's. This exercise will
demonstrate how ineffective the wrong sizes are.
Sharon Butler, MSN, BSN, RN
Stanford University Hospital and Clinics
Palo Alto, Calif.
sbutler@stanfordmed.org
PREVENTING DVT
Use Paper Towels to Simulate Calf Size
O
ur OR staff gathers for a "morning huddle" for anywhere from
2 to 10 minutes before cases start each day. When our accredi-
tation survey is coming up, we spend a few minutes during
each huddle reviewing 2 questions that a surveyor might ask. This
way, staff won't be so nervous during the actual survey.
Shannon Tatman, RN
Nanticoke Hospital
Seaford, Del.
tatmans@naticoke.org
MORNING HUDDLE
How We Stay Survey-Ready
IDEAS
That Work
