one not paying attention to the task at hand.
Multitasking is inevitable, and even acceptable, during most phases
of surgery, but not when sharps are being passed. Focus on nothing
else during that time. Don't turn away or lose visual contact with the
sharp you're passing until you feel and see the surgeon's hand close
around it. It's only acceptable to move onto the next step of surgery
once you know the sharp has been handed off safely. That's tough to
do, because we're all driven by the need to improve case efficiencies,
but your safety is worth a few more seconds of operative time.
Besides, taking several moments to ensure sharps are handled correct-
ly won't have a major impact on case times.
Alert staff to the dangers of sharps safety, especially new hires, who
are often naïve about the dangers they face. Remind all team members
to treat each patient like she's infected with every harmful disease
imaginable. That's one mental trick I've used throughout my career to
8 8
O U T P A T 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 | A P R I L 2 0 1 5
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