7 3
D E C 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
little trickier."
Tracy Diffenderfer, RN, MSN, CNOR, executive director of periop-
erative services for Cone Health in Greensboro, N.C., says it's possi-
ble to find the perfect scalpel, one that appeases surgeons and pre-
vents injury. After
surgeons in her
health system tested
new safety scalpels,
they realized there
was a problem. "The
doctors hated the
shield," she says.
Leadership listened
to the doctors' input
and went back to the
manufacturer to
work on a new proto-
type that the docs
now "feel they can
use," she says.
There are safety
scalpel options for
everyone, and newer
models are better
weighted to feel like a
traditional scalpel and
have a more comfort-
able hold. Disposable
scalpels, or reusable
ones that have a scis-
S H A R P S S A F E T Y
