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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3 8 • 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 • M A R C H 2 0 2 1 thicker orthopedic glove offered more protection than the dual layers of two thinner gloves," says Ms. Nolan. "And many of those who were double- gloving used two outer gloves, which is a costlier solution than donning gloves designed for dou- ble-gloving and doesn't take advantage of the bi- color puncture indication system, a key safety feature. Ultimately, you need to convey the importance of double-gloving, and make sure your team does it correctly." Frontline feedback If your team pushes back against double-gloving, Ms. Nolan suggests trying the "just culture" concept to address the issue. It's a shared-accountability model that holds organizations and staff responsible for find- ing effective solutions to problems. "As we dove into the causes of our low double- gloving numbers, we realized that the types of gloves that were purchased wound up in ORs with little to no input from the team members who wore them," says Ms. Nolan. "We realized it's important to have staff and surgeons trial multiple types and makes of new gloves. Getting their buy-in before deciding which ones you'll buy leads to a higher level of acceptance among your team." Try to reach as many providers as possible dur- ing trials of new glove models, suggests Ms. Nolan. "We capitalized on our hospital's annual skills fair to give as many surgical providers as possible the chance to assess new glove choices for protection, quality, fit and comfort," she says. "Their feedback helped us identify the models we'd ultimately trial." Glove vendors should be more than happy to explain the pros and cons of their models and might even help you organize and run trials. Bassett's ven- dor, for example, spent two weeks discussing vari- ous glove models instead of trying to go through all the information in one long meeting. Once Bassett decided on which latex- and pow- der-free gloves to trial, the gloves' vendor supplied evaluation forms that the trial's participants filled out. The forms included a space where they could note likes or dislikes that had not been addressed in the form's questions. In all, 34 surgeons, 39 staff members and three anesthesiologists participated. They learned that more than half the surgeons and one-third of the staff members weren't double-glov- ing. The trial helped the facility identify which gloves they'd purchase, and also highlighted the need for education aimed at increasing compliance with double-gloving practices. Willing converts Allowing your clinical team to have control over which double-gloving system they'll use goes a long way toward making them accountable for doubling up on layers of protection to increase staff and patient safety. Educating staff and surgeons on best practices and professional guidelines will also empower them to comply with double-gloving pro- tocols. Show them the evidence and let them own the solution, and you'll find that even those who were most resistant to change will double-glove without hesitation because the new practice will become a regular part of the workday. OSM DOUBLING DOWN Switching to non-latex gloves when implementing a double-gloving policy adds an additional safety feature to your facility's practices. MercyOne Medical Center