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J U LY 2 0 1 5 | 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
age noise levels.
Loud and clear
Most of our staff members
appreciate the efforts we're mak-
ing to reduce noise distractions.
To be honest, some have resisted
our attempts to turn down the
music in the OR. We've empha-
sized that we're not trying to dis-
rupt their personal choice of
tunes, but that we want quiet
during surgery's important stages
so their focus is on patient care,
not Taylor Swift.
I've worked in surgery for a long time. Noisy care is part of the cul-
ture, so much so that I believe surgical professionals have become
desensitized to excessive sound. Step back and think about how much
noise your staff generates during surgery. Loud voices and music can
combine with already noisy medical equipment to jeopardize patient
care. In loud ORs, people tend to project their voices even louder to
compete. It turns into a loud and vicious cycle that we need to break
and silence. OSM
z VISUAL CUE If it gets too noisy, staff
members can lift a quiet badge that
attaches to a pull string on our ID badges.
University
of
Kentucky
HealthCare
Ms. Daniels (kjdani2@email.uky.edu) is the clinical education coordinator
of perioperative services at University of Kentucky HealthCare in Lexington.
