O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 5 9
meetings were the perfect platform to
discuss safety sharps and to lay the
foundation for buy-in.
3. Pick the
products to trial
We approved 3 safety products to trial,
each from the same vendor.
• Disposable safety scalpel handle. This is an ingenious product that lets you place
any size blade on a weighted disposable handle. The fact that the handle is
weighted is no small detail. Surgeons will quickly reject an otherwise satisfacto-
ry safety scalpel if the plastic handle is too light. It doesn't feel right in my
hands, they'll say. Too flimsy. A safety guard slides over top of the blade and
locks into place via a hooking mechanism, protecting the entire blade, regard-
less of the size. This safety scalpel makes it safe to hand-pass the device back
and forth with the surgeon. Surgeons want to make the incision at once as soon
as we hand them the scalpel, so they're going to have to learn to take one more
step — that takes less than a second — to slide the safety guard back and forth
to activate and deactivate the guard. If you anticipate that your surgeons will
balk at having to activate the safety device, ask them if it's worth it to prevent a
life-changing injury.
At an earlier stop in my career, we trialed a disposable knife handle and blade.
Our surgeons complained that the handle was too light and the cover that went
over the blade prevented them from making an incision and pushing the blade
deep enough to separate the tissue. This time, we think we've found the answer: a
weighted handle that can accommodate any blade, and a cover that goes over the
blade.
• Hypodermic needle. We're going to trial a needle that has a safety guard as well.
I'm concerned that our surgeons may resist this product. The safety guard on
z DANGER ZONE With scalpels, needles and
other sharp instruments, the OR is a hazardous area.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
