J U L Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 1 7
A
fter gynecological
procedures such as
hysterectomies, sur-
geons place vaginal packing
to stop excessive bleeding.
But how are physicians and
even patients to know that
the packing is in place during
follow-up care? This issue
must be addressed because
vaginal packing that remains
inside the body can lead to
sepsis and infection. We
decided to use bright orange
wristbands with the word
"packing" printed on them to
alert providers and patients
that packing has been used.
A single band is applied to the patient for each packing that's placed,
and it remains in place until the packing is removed per physicians'
orders. The wristbands are easy to make with a label maker or per-
manent marker. Since rolling out the project in 2017, we've had no
incidences of packing inadvertently left in place.
Julie McDonald, RN, CNOR
Silver Cross Hospital
New Lenox, Ill.
jmcdonald@silvercross.org
COLORFUL CUE Julie McDonald, RN, CNOR, helped design the
bright orange wristbands with the word "packing" printed on them.
VISUAL ALERT
Wristbands Identify Patients With Vaginal Packing
