1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 1 9
E
ver take a close look at your trash? When we did, we found
we were needlessly throwing away sponges and supplies.
• Sponges. Only sponges that are grossly saturated in blood
need to go in the red bag for biohazardous trash, but staff were put-
ting nearly all sponges in the red bags. We created a visual aid (above)
to remind staff of proper disposal practices. It costs 6¢ per pound to
dispose of regular trash compared to 22¢ per pound for red bags, so
simply following our policy has reduced our waste disposal fees.
• Procedure packs. We audited the instruments and supplies on
our back table and found items that were often untouched or
unnecessarily opened during surgery. We've narrowed our focus
to determine what we need on our back table and customized our
procedure packs based on our findings. Those changes have
helped us keep our costs for supply waste flat, even as our case
volumes increase.
Ross W. Simon, BA, and
Kelly Gamboa, MSN, RN, CNOR
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Mass.
rwsimon@bidmc.harvard.edu
kgamboa@bidmc.harvard.edu
• SEEING RED The visual aid reminds staff of the difference between regular trash
and red bag trash when it comes to disposing of sponges.
Beth
Israel
Deaconess
Medical
Center
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Why Are We Throwing That Away?
