Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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thousands of healthcare workers being exposed to surgical plume each year. Ms. Turner, who has been working on breast reduction surgeries for about 15 years, says just a gram of tissue — about the size of a jellybean — is equal to six smoked cigarettes, an exam- ple she used to hammer home the importance of smoke evacuation. While getting her surgery cen- ter to go smoke-free, Ms. Turner walked away with several valu- able lessons, including: • Sell the latest options. After gaining widespread support as a result of her research, Ms. Turner brought in sales reps to introduce the latest smoke evacuators and set up trials. She had to work closely with the health system's ENT surgeons, who were con- cerned that the way they perform their complex procedures would be negatively impacted by the presence of a smoke evacuation pencil close to the surgical site. Ms. Turner moved systematically, though, and gained the support of the ENT surgeons and staff before moving on to convince orthopedic and general surgeons to work with evacuators. Recent improvements in the design and function of the devices helped Ms. Turner make her case. Newer evacuators have slimmer profiles and can be incorporated into electrosurgery devices, factors that let surgeons perform procedures using their preferred technique. Evacuation units that used to sound like a loud vacuum cleaner are much quieter, which eliminates a com- mon complaint from surgeons 3 2 • 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 AORN's Go Clear Award Program sets out specific steps your facility should take to successfully implement a smoke evacu- ation program. Start by sharing evidence-based research with coworkers and assemble a team of champions to help push the program through. Once smoke evacuation gains frontline support, perform a gap analysis to determine your facility's need for equipment. After figuring out how many smoke evac- uation units are needed, develop an action plan and start implementing it. Schedule regular education sessions to get staff accustomed to the new smoke evacuation products. Also make sure your facility complies with the Go Clear auditing tool (Check, Learn, Evaluate, Assess and Report). Once your smoke evacuation pro- gram is up and running, you can apply for a Go Clear Award, and potentially qualify for a Bronze, Silver or Gold designation based on your level of compliance, education, performance and the amount of smoke evacuation products in use at your facility. Go Clear offers additional guidelines, resources and tips to guide you every step of the way toward eliminating smoke from the OR. Part of the program involves following yearly competen- cy checks and recertification requirements to ensure smoke continues to be evacuated over the long term. For more infor- mation, visit aorn.org/GoClear. — Maria Marabito Need Help Going Smoke-free? SEAMLESS TRANSITION Surgeons are more willing to use the latest options in smoke evacuators, which are less cumbersome and quieter than previous models. MedCenter Mebane Surgery Center ROADMAP TO SUCCESS