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 • A P R I L 2 0 2 0
T
he lead aprons,
skirts and vests
your staff wear to
protect themselves
from radiation
exposure are an often-ignored
aspect of infection prevention
protocols. Following these
steps will ensure your staff
understands the importance of
wiping pathogens off their sur-
faces after each use.
• Identify the issue. To estab-
lish a cleanliness baseline, wipe
a microbial swab across a few
garments. You can also use fluo-
rescent markers to test your
staff's cleaning compliance.
Without their knowledge, place
a marker on each garment. A
month later, use a black light to
see if the markers are still there. If they are, staff weren't properly
cleaning the garments.
We switch the locations of the invisible marks — under the right
armpit area or by the base of the knee cover, for example. Our staff
never knows where the mark will be, but they know we'll be monitor-
ing how often they've been removed.
Don't Overlook This SSI Threat
Radiation protective gear needs a quick cleaning between procedures.
Infection Prevention
Angela M. Ellis, MSN, RN, CNOR, and Cyndi MacDonald, RN, CNOR
• PERSONAL PROTECTION Place garments on a table during
cleaning to ensure all surface areas are wiped down.
H.
Lee
Moffitt
Cancer
Center
