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LETTERS & E-MAILS
Not Safe to Reuse Drapes
third-party reprocesser to be
◗ Re: "5 Easy Ways to Save on
resterilized using approved
Surgical Supplies" (January,
guidelines. This is simply choos-
page 67). The suggestion to
ing to use a patient's unused
reuse drapes out of sterile packs drapes for another patient's prothat weren't used or touched on
cedure. (Next will we share
the field for other "clean" proce- unused tissue boxes in the ICU
dures, such as ENT cases, is
from patient to patient?) If you
way out of touch with infection
do not need it, throw it out. If
control prevention. Any pack
you are finding this happens
that is opened belongs solely to
often, save money by removing
the patient in the room. Items
it from your pack.
should not be removed and
Jude Johnston, RN
deemed "clean" or "non-contam-
Johnston & Johnston Surgical
inated" by staff to use on other
Sales and Consulting
patients. This is not the same as
West Chester, Pa.
sending extra products to a
judejohnston@verizon.net
InstaPoll
What steals the most minutes away from
your days?
• Office drop-ins .............................................37%
• E-mail ............................................................26%
• Meetings ......................................................23%
• Phone calls ...................................................14%
• Facebook ........................................................0%
TIME BANDITS Of all the distractions you face in
your job, office drop-ins (staff, surgeons, vendors)
ranked No. 1 in a poll of 409 facility managers.
1 4
SOURCE: Outpatient Surgery Magazine InstaPoll
(www.outpatientsurgery.net), January 2013, n=409
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 | F E B R U A R Y 2013
