during surgery and communicate the position to the nurses in PACU
so they place them differently in post-op during recovery.
5. Upgrade OR table pads
OR table pads must provide immersion and envelopment, which stan-
dard 2-inch thick elastic foam pads covered with black vinyl fabric
simply don't do. However, high-specification foam mattresses let
patients sink into the underlay and cushion the patient's body to
increase surface contact by 60% and reduce risk of pressure injury.
Replacing standard OR pads with thicker foam options is an added
expense, but the investment will save you money in the long run. As a
program manager for a hospital network, I once secured funding to
replace standard OR table pads with thicker, foam versions in 10 hos-
pitals. The total bill was about $80,000 — or less than the cost of treat-
ing 2 pressure injuries.
OSM
J u l y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 6 5
Ms. Scott (sscott38@uthsc.edu) is the patient safety and quality improvement
educator at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Office of Graduate
Medical Education in Memphis.
