While nearly all of Sumner's cases employ safety blades, the cen-
ter still holds some traditional scalpels in order to avoid adversely
impacting the process or compromising outcomes. "They're pack-
aged separately, they're not in any tray," says Mr. Wilkerson. "A
scrub is responsible for pulling them when they're needed, and
the reason must be more than just, the surgeon doesn't want to
use a safety knife."
Last but not least, if your initial efforts to implement safety scalpels
fail, don't give up. Keep looking and keep trialing. "Continue to search
for something that satisfies your surgeons," says Mr. Wilkerson. "Until
you reach that product, continue to trial. All that you can do is what
you have to do to keep staff free from injuries." OSM
E-mail dbernard@outpatientsurgery.net.
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