Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Thumbs Up on Safety Scalpels - May 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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when Outpatient Surgery con- ducted a similar survey, we found that 60% of respondents were not using safety scalpels in their ORs compared to 56.45% today. The No. 1 reason our respondents cited for not using safety scalpels: Surgeons refuse to use them (65.38%). A distant second: Facility has not found accept- able safety scalpel brand/model (35.38%). • Preference. Safety scalpel users prefer disposable plastic (64.52%) to reusable metal (35.48%) handles by nearly a 2:1 margin. Similarly, they pre- fer a safety sheath (60.8%) to a retractable blade (31.2%). • Cost could be a factor. More than half (56.91%) of our respondents believe that safety scalpels are safer than traditional non-safety scalpels, but also note that they cost more. Some add that the blades on disposable scalpels dull faster, so they go through more safety scalpels during a case. "Cost could be a factor, but safety will win out. The sharpness of the blade and ease of exposing the blade are the biggest factors," says a respondent. • Holding steady. While about two-thirds (65.38%) say scalpel usage at their facilities has stayed the same over the last 5 years, 10.99% say 3 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 • M A Y 2 0 1 9 13.81 % I believe they are safer than traditional non-safety scalpels and cost less. 56.91 % I believe they are safer than traditional non-safety scalpels, although they cost more. 29.28 % I only would use them because of compliance and mandates. SOURCE: Outpatient Surgery Magazine Survey, April 2019, 187 respondents Which statement best reflects how you feel about safety sharps?

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