Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Outpatient Surgery Edition - Staff & Patient Safety - October 2017

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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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 6 3 C entral pro- cess- ing techni- cians are perhaps the most underappreciated members of your staff. They work tirelessly and without acclaim — and often out of sight — to ensure stacks upon stacks of complex instrument sets are cleaned, sterilized, reor- ganized and returned to the ORs in time to keep your surgical schedule on track. Their efforts protect patients from harm, but when was the last time you watched how they perform their routine tasks to identify workplace hazards? We did and, as a result, we implemented the following safety-related improvements. The result of the initia- tive: an 86% reduction in the number of days staff missed from work due to on- the-job injuries. Sterile Processing Safety Check The unsung heroes of your facility deserve to work without worry. Ross Simon, BA, and Elena G. Canacari, RN, BSN, CNOR | Boston, Mass. SINGLE LANE Techs should push only one instrument cart at a time, using both hands and proper body mechanics, to lower the risks of musculoskeletal injuries and accidental collisions with colleagues. Photos by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

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