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IDEAS That Work
RESOURCE REUSE
Saving Unused Blue Towels is a Green Option
T
hose blue surgical
towels the surgeon
uses to dry his hands
after scrubbing come in sterile packs of 5, but for a lot of
cases only 1 gets used. After
the case begins, they're considered contaminated and
must be discarded once it's
over. Which is a shame,
because they look like good
quality cloth towels. So we
decided not to let them go to
waste. When we know we
won't be using all of them,
we take the remainder out
of the package before the
patient enters the OR and
save them in sub-sterile.
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT With a little planning,
They work really well for
you can save unused surgical towels for reuse.
terminal cleaning a room,
especially stretcher underbodies, table legs and wheelchairs, a job
that we'd otherwise have to purchase cleaning supplies for.
Ruby B. Aiken, RN, BSN
Colleton Ambulatory
Surgery Center
Walterboro, S.C.
rubylett.aiken@hcahealthcare.com
O C T O B E R 2013 | 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
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