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SAFETY
in mind that staffers might not know they're doing anything wrong,
especially if they've never been informed of proper protocols or unacceptable practices have been ingrained in your facility's culture.
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Find solutions
Our safety champion and the ESD collaborated to come up with
impactful changes to OR cleaning protocols over 4 months, including:
the approval of written standard-based cleaning procedures; mandatory terminal cleaning of ORs after cases involving patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; and the establishment of an
agreed-upon terminal cleaning schedule. In addition, they agreed to
standardize the disinfectants used to clean OR surfaces (using disinfecting wipes with 2-minute dry times instead of buckets of disinfectant and cloths with 10-minute dry times). Most importantly, based on
the newly written procedures, they created an orientation program
that all ESD staff members — regardless of experience — had to complete before cleaning the ORs.
Having a dedicated safety champion has improved our OR daily
readiness and regulatory compliance, and can do the same for you.
Without the help of the safety champion, identifying the need for and
implementing a new cleaning process may not have occurred. OSM
Mr. Sewchuk (dsewchuk@lifespan.org) is the clinical educator of surgical
services at The Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I.
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H 2013
