Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Clear Cut - July 2015 - 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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1 1 8 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 | J U LY 2 0 1 5 Friendly reminders Dr. Ritchie's findings sparked our interest in raising awareness of the issue and getting everyone to understand that each member of the sur- gical team has different perceptions of noise volumes at various times of the case. For example, nurses care very much about noise levels when they're performing final counts to ensure no objects have been left behind. The same goes for anesthesia providers during induction and emergence. That makes sense. You're likely sensitive to noise dis- tractions when you're trying to focus on your own responsibilities. Establishing agreed-upon quiet times during the critical points of cases ensures everyone has the quiet they need when they need it most. Our efforts to turn down the volume at the front line include these creative solutions: • Quiet badges. Each staff member carries a yellow "quiet" badge, which attaches to pull strings on our ID badges. When noise levels mount during critical phases of surgery, staff members are encour- aged to lift the badge to remind their colleagues about our noise- reduction policy. Everyone knows and respects the badges, and we've found that they help empower staff to speak up against noise distractions. • Yacker Trackers. These stoplight noise sensors let you adjust the lights to blink at various decibel levels. (You can purchase the devices at teaching supply stores.) The green light means noise lev- els are low; the yellow light means levels are rising but still accept- able; and the red light indicates noise has reached distracting levels. We placed the trackers at the surgery department's front desk and in pre-op, because that's where noise levels seem to escalate the most. • Posters. We've hung "Quiet Time" and "Zone of Silence" reminders in pre-op and in ORs to serve as constant reminders for staff to man- S A F E T Y

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