captured during a case before adding it to red bag waste.
It often takes several procedures to fill a single mobile unit to capac-
ity and staff don't have to waste valuable minutes sopping fluid off the
floor between cases, so our direct-to-drain solutions help speed room
turnover times.
The return on investment is also realized in increased staff safety.
Can you also imagine what that broken wrist cost my former facility
in terms of being short-staffed and workers' compensation expenses?
Paying for a single staff injury would cost at least what you'd have
spent on a direct-to-drain system. A 1-liter container filled with fluid
weighs about 8 pounds, so at the end of one of those fluid-heavy
orthopedic cases that can fill a half-dozen containers, staff will end up
lifting and moving 48 pounds of waste. That's a significant issue as the
nation's nursing force ages.
It's clear that direct-to-drain fluid management is an investment in
staff safety. Adding closed collection systems shows your team that
you care about their well-being and want them to work in a dry and
safe environment.
OSM
3 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8
Mr. Underwood (bobby.underwood@healthonecares.com) is the interim direc-
tor of surgical services at North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton, Colo.
