tional incisions, drain placement or shifting of
the drapes, says AORN.
3. Don't wing it. When you stray from anti-
septic manufacturers' instructions for use,
you compromise the prep's effectiveness. For
example, don't dilute antiseptic products after
opening them.
4. Ensure prep dry time. Let the antiseptic
solution dry for the full time recommended by
the manufacturer. Draping sooner than that
minimizes the effectiveness of the prep and
risks OR fires from not having a dry prep. But
waiting the 3 minutes it takes for most alco-
hol-based skin preps to dry can seem like an
eternity to an anxious surgeon who's ready to
drape the patient and begin the case. One
solution: Place store-bought timers in each
OR and magnetically attach them to your
whiteboards. "We set the timers for 3 minutes.
We prep the patient, start the timer and then
perform the time out. The rule is that you
can't drape the patient until the timer goes
off," says Heather Schimmers, RN, BSN, of
Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh, Wis.
5. Dress the part. What to wear when prep-
ping the skin? Don sterile gloves (you may
wear nonsterile gloves if the antiseptic appli-
J a n u a r y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 4 1
info13@viscot.com • 800.221.0658
www.viscot.com
ChloraPrep® is a registered trademark of CareFusion
XL Prep
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• Meets Joint Commission's
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• The gold standard in correct site
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Project15_Layout 1 12/29/16 8:30 AM Page 1
"The prep is the start to a successful case.
Never underestimate the importance of it."
