P
ortable handheld ultrasound probes that attach to
smartphones are one of many tools that make prac-
ticing regional anesthesia an easier task, but the
probe and the smartphone often gets dirty while in use. An
ER doctor gave me the simplest tip to keep both clean: Slip
them into an ultrasound probe cover and keep the phone in
place by wrapping rubber bands around the cover at the top
and bottom of the phone. You can see through the cover per-
fectly and touch the screen without issue to adjust the depth
and gain — all while it stays clean.
Nadia Hernandez, MD
Texas Medical Center
Houston, Texas
nadia.hernandez@uth.tmc.edu
10 • O
U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Ideas Work
That
BLOCK PLACEMENT
A Clean and Clear Solution
for Handheld Ultrasound
Nadia
Hernandez
LAYER OF PROTECTION An inexpensive ultrasound probe cover is just
as effective as more costly and bulkier cases at keeping smartphones
clean during the placement of regional blocks.
W
e invite patients and
staff to recognize
members of the
team who demonstrate one of
our medical center's core val-
ues — respect, teamwork,
service, honesty — by submit-
ting a card describing the good
deed to our facility's human
resources department. The
recognition is noted in the
employee's personnel file and
the card is passed, along with a small round
blue sticker, to their manager. The manager
reads the card aloud at a staff meeting and
presents the employee with the 'blueberry'
sticker, which they place on their ID badge. After
an employee receives 12 blueberries, they
exchange their standard-issue
white badge for a blue badge.
Twelve more blueberries earn
them a gold badge and then
accumulating 24 more blue-
berries earn them the highest
honor: the Cloud Badge (white
puffs on a sky-blue back-
ground). Staff are limited to
earning one blueberry a
month, so we know dedicated
staff members with cloud
badges have worked hard over several years to
earn at least 48 blueberries.
Tami Geske, RN, BSN
Rogue Regional Medical Center
Medford, Ore.
tami.geske@asante.org
FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR
Badge 'Blueberries' Boost Staff Morale
STATUS SYMBOLS Top performers at Rogue Regional
Medical Center earn blue stickers that represent their will-
ingness to go above and beyond for their patients and
coworkers.
Tami
Geske