6 5
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | 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
entation, I'll add a humorous slide to try and keep staff engaged. Our
surgery manager has said that she knows there will be at least one
cute dog picture in any presentation I am giving."
So, along with explanations of what generates plume (in addition to
cautery and laser use, be wary of orthopedic power tools), an admoni-
tion that a room's airflow exchange isn't nearly as effective in evacuating
smoke as a targeted suction device is, and warnings of respiratory risk,
there's a sprinkling of wit. The presentation's title, "The Dangers of
Smoking in the OR," is accompanied by a stock photo of an old-style
gentleman with a cigar. Signs depicting a seabird behind a red circle-
slash ("No puffin") were posted around the ORs. "If the hospital is
smoke-free, why should our OR staff have to put up with secondhand
smoke?" asks Ms. Foster.
The education also includes hands-on training, since knowing how
to properly use the equipment is key to routinely putting it to use. An
employer has a vested interest in protecting its workers' health, she
notes. "We don't want their lungs to be the thing that filters the smoke
out."
There are even a couple of administrative steps you can add to the
daily surgical routine to make sure smoke evacuation is a consistent
caution, not an occasional afterthought.
"After we find out what each physician likes or doesn't like working
with, we add the smoke evacuation equipment to their preference
cards," says Ms. Foster. "That helps a lot with use."
The facility's also added smoke evacuation use to its pre-op safety
checklist, documentation that it uses to monitor compliance.
Electronic medical records make it easy to check the box reporting
that the equipment was in use during a case, as well as to quickly
review the number of cases per month in which it was used.
"Our service-line managers also spot-check random cases when
