W
ant to help
ensure your OR
team covers fire
safety during pre-op
time outs? Affix a
small flame graph-
ic to the lower
left-hand
corner of
every mobile
workstation
screen to prompt
them to discuss how
they'll keep fuels, heat
sources and oxygen sepa-
rate whenever electro-
cautery, lasers and high-
speed orthopedic drills are
used during procedures. We
printed the simple flame graphic off the Internet (you can find one by
searching Google images), made color copies and laminated each
one before sticking them to the workstation screens. Our circulating
nurses say the tiny flames serve as a visual cue to remind them to
address fire risks before surgery begins.
Jeanne Schrantz, RN, CNOR
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, Pa.
truss47@hotmail.com
A P R I L 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 9
TIME-OUT TIP
Flame Graphic Prompts Pause for Fire Safety
• GRAPHIC REMINDER Circulating nurse Autumn Camacho, RN, remem-
bers to initiate a discussion about fire safety as orthopedic surgeon Bryan
Hooks, MD, looks on.
UPMC
Horizon
