Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/430472
7 5 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 S H A R P S S A F E T Y • At least try them. Ask your surgeons for their help in moving to safety devices. Per OSHA regulations, they must at least trial the safety devices, says Janine Jagger, MPH, PhD, founder of the International Healthcare Worker Safety Center and professor of medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The goal isn't to force surgeons to use certain devices, but to show them options they might like. • Practice makes perfect Once surgeons and staff agree to use the new safe- ty devices, give them time to train on them, just like they would any other instru- ment. "Practice makes perfect," says Margaret Rodriguez CST, CSFA, FAST, BS, a professor in the Surgical Technology Program at El Paso Community College. • Explain the risks. Remind surgeons and staff who refuse to use safety devices that they're not only risking themselves, but other colleagues, like those in reprocessing. Ms. Rodriguez also recommends reminding staff that they're responsible for their safety. "If you're willing to gamble, that's fine," she says. "But understand your hospital may not choose to cover you if it (a sharps injury) is deemed to be preventable, and you chose not to do what you were expected to do." • Treat everyone as high-risk When a patient with a known infection comes into the facility, staff is cautious, follows proper procedures and uses safety devices, right? "They should apply the same care to every patient," says Ms. Rodriguez. "The vast majority of patients don't know what they've got." • Give them real-life examples Tracy Diffenderfer, RN, MSN, CNOR, executive director of perioperative services for Cone Health in Greensboro, N.C., has grabbed the attention of staff by showing them what happens if they don't use the safety devices. "I've brought in employees that have been injured and infected," she says. "The whole room dynamic changes if you add a human element to it." — Kendal Gapinski POWER OF PERSUASION Selling Sharps Safety Devices to Your Staff and Surgeons