5 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 9
Keeping tabs on
instrument trays that
are constantly on the
move from the OR to
sterile processing
and back again can
be a real headache,
and it's not always
easy to know where
they are at a given
moment.
At Duke University
Hospital in Durham, N.C., staff use a scanner and barcode sys-
tem to keep track of nearly 1,000 instrument trays. The 51-OR
facility performs more than 5,000 cases annually and keeping
track of all those trays is a big responsibility, says Jay D. Libutan,
BSN, RN, CNOR, a staff and clinical nurse at the hospital.
To implement the system, Duke assigned a barcode label to
every tray and added barcode scanners to each OR and to mobile
workstations throughout the facility. Staff members scan trays
every time they're used in the OR, reprocessed and put in stor-
age. Each scan creates a digital record of when and how often
specific instruments are used. It's invaluable information for
understanding how many instruments you need based on case
volume.
The barcode system lets staff know where instruments and
implant trays are in real time so they can locate them on
demand, which is especially important during back-to-back pro-
Do You Know Where Your Instruments Are?
• SMART SCAN A barcode system can help your staff locate instruments as
they move throughout the facility.
Jay
D.
Libutan,
BSN,
RN,
CNOR
HIGH-TECH TRACKING
