onto the mayo stand and
wound up getting stuck. She
received multiple screenings
for HIV and Hepatitis B and
C, and had to wait a full six
months to find out she was
infection-free. "I was basical-
ly in limbo that whole time,"
says Ms. Larkin. "It was emo-
tionally and mentally drain-
ing."
This harrowing experience no doubt impacted Ms. Larkin's
approach to sharps safety at Aurora — an approach that is quite
robust. Staff adhere to using a neutral zone — a designated area
where sharps must be placed and received — and double-glove with
an outer- and inner-glove indicator system. When the white outerglove
it pierced or torn, the color of the underglove shows through, letting
staff know to switch to a fresh pair.
In addition, surgeons use safety scalpels and the surgical team
uses safety needles when they perform injections in the sterile
field. "We've been using safety scalpels since 2010, and we added
safety needles a little more recently," says Ms. Larkin.
Finally, Ms. Larkin stays abreast of the latest sharps safety products
as they hit the market, and incorporates the cutting-edge technology
and best practices into her facility's protocols whenever it's feasible to
do so.
"Staff can't always go to conferences, so I make it a point to bring
back new ideas and introduce them to nurses on the front lines," says
Ms. Larkin. If the product works and there's staff buy-in, they move on
to conducting a trial of the device.
8 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 • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0
• COVER UP While they can be a hard sell, safety scalpels offer critical
protection to OR staff who pass sharps to surgeons and dispose of
blades after the case.
