At the Andrews
Institute Ambulatory
Surgery Center in Gulf
Breeze, Fla., one sur-
geon in particular was
responsible for an inor-
dinate number of
needlestick injuries.
"He was just careless,"
says QI Coordinator
Barbara J. Holder RN,
BSN, LHRM, CAPA.
"He would put instru-
ments down and pick
them up again because
he'd change his mind."
So they created a no-touch zone between the surgeon and the scrub,
especially critical when he's suturing. They set up an additional safety
tray for the doctor so that a staff member's hands wouldn't be in the
tray with the doctor at the same time.
"Even though we're taught not to anticipate a doctor's move, some-
times we do," says Ms. Holder.
3. Exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Wearing the appropri-
ate personal protective equipment (PPE) is just the start, says David
L. Taylor III, RN, MSN, of San Antonio, Texas. During a busy orthope-
dic sports medicine day, he was circulating a messy arthroscopic knee
procedure. Outfitted with complete PPE that included shoe covers, a
scrub jacket, headgear and a surgical mask. He also wore eye protec-
tion, but he removed the glasses and let them hang from his neck as
1 0 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M a r c h 2 0 1 7
Surgical services leaders have a
responsibility to take a proactive
approach to protecting their employees.
