everything you need for each case
the night before and set up a
case/cupboard cart system outside
the OR, pulling everything you need
for case 1 and placing it on shelf 1,
everything for case 2 on shelf 2 and
so on.
Then add a room turnover kit, adds
Ms. Dean, which you can either pur-
chase commercially or assign your
staff to assemble during down time.
The kit should include things like
draw sheets, an OR table sheet and
kick bucket liners.
4. Floors and walls
It's a good idea to mop the floors after each case, as they do at the
Advanced Family Surgery Center and at Regina Hospital. The Joint
Commission doesn't require you to clean the walls after each case,
but if they are soiled by visible splatters, then you'll have to wipe
them down. A terminal clean at the end of the day and a cycle clean
weekly, or as needed, should be part of your routine, says Mr.
Bainbridge.
5. Pump the brakes on breaks
A great cleaning process in the OR won't make up for the time you
lose elsewhere. Look at what is happening from the time the patient
leaves the room until the next patient comes in and note what each
person is doing.
"What I saw was a lot of people going for a quick break. And not just
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 3
• WORK TO BE DONE Stress to your staff that they
can't help turn the room over from the staff lounge.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
