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over the safety device to operate safely."
A scalpel isn't a complex instrument: a sharp edge with a handle. But when a physician feels that scalpels designed with retractable blades or guards for safer passing aren't acceptable alternatives to traditional
blades, physician preference carries the day.
"I can't get my doctors to even try them. They're terrible at attempting change," says Sherry Butts, RN, BSN, the OR supervisor at Albany (Ga.) Surgery Center.
Some facilities rely on their record of never having witnessed a scalpel accident as evidence that cautious handling, such as the use of a neutral passing area, is a sufficient defense. "We use the 'safe zone' method," says one respondent, "wherein the scalpel is placed in a kidney basin, the surgeon picks up the scalpel and returns it in the same basin after using it, with of course the verbal communication, 'Watch the sharp.'"
Advice for implementation
Success in adopting safety sharps relies on clinicians' compliance, which may be leveraged with a bit of persuasion. "You need backing from senior leadership and medical staff leaders," says Bruce Vierra, RN,
