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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6 6 O U T P AT 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 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 ments and costly to dispose of the wrap. Wait, there's more Here are 7 other small steps you can take on the road to environmen- tal stewardship: • Let's start with the opened-but-unused dilemma. It's not just what you throw out. It's also what you unwrap and don't use … and then throw out. ORs are notorious for opening sterilized equipment that is never used, and then disposing of it like yesterday's newspaper. The Gainesville (Ga.) Eye Center donates clean but not sterile supplies to humane societies or animal shelters. "We get it out of our trash and they get clean supplies," says Clinical Manager Becky Burnett, RN, BSN. • Use paper medication cups instead of plastic ones and non-PVC patient ID bands, says Sandra Armington, RN, of Maine General Medical Center in Augusta, Maine. • Place a reusable ground pad with gel padding on the OR table. "We no longer have to use expensive disposable pads, and we limit all the copper wire and padding from the landfill," says Charlene Goff, RN, director of nursing at the Pasadena (Calif.) Plastic Surgery Center. • Switch to disposable biopsy forceps. "Not only are they cost-effec- tive and safe for the patients, but you don't have to autoclave them," says Lori Garrison of the Endoscopy Center of South Jersey in Vineland, N.J. • To save on your energy costs, program your HVAC control system so that it sets the building into an unoccupied mode after hours. "Our energy bill last month was $1,500 less than the same month the prior year," says Scott Bergman, MBA, administrator of the Millennium Surgical Center in Cherry Hill, N.J. • Switch to gel armboard padding instead of single-use disposable foam pads. The Florida Hospital Surgery Center in Orlando, Fla., is sav- G O I N G G R E E N NEPTUNE ® 2 IS BACKed by science For your protection and peace of mind. Our SealShut TM Technology keeps the Neptune 2 constantly closed, protecting you from suctioned biohazardous fluids during cases, manifold change, docking and transport. It's just part of the science behind the safety, proof positive that our commitment to surgical safety has never been stronger. For more information, contact your Surgical sales representative or visit www.stryker.com/surgical. › 2,900 hours of hands-on research › 1,000+ customer surveys › 325 healthcare practitioner consults 9100-002-440 Rev A OSE_1406_part2_Layout 1 6/13/14 11:40 AM Page 66