![]() ![]() This is the most significant change since 2005, when the Recommended Practices for Surgical Attire was first released. AORN recommends that surgical attire should be laundered in a healthcare-accredited laundry facility, according to Recommendation V within the recommended practice, and all recommendations for home laundering of surgical attire have been removed. In this recommended practice, AORN is underscoring the science-based rationale for quality assurance monitoring of laundering practices, as well as taking a stand on other attire-related issues that compromise patient safety. Reps walking into the OR without donning OR attireĪlthough it has always recommended institution laundering of surgical attire, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) is unequivocal on this position in its newly revised Recommended Practices for Surgical Attire, released in December. Surgeons not changing into hospital-laundered scrubs Staff wearing long sleeves underneath scrubs Staff coming and going with shoe and head covers without replacing them before returning to the OR Wearing home-laundered surgical attire, especially caps Bringing personal items into the OR such as handbags, briefcases and laptops Specifically, respondents noted these situations: Surgical hand hygiene products should be selected, evaluated and approved by the organizations infection prevention personnel."Įighteen percent of survey respondents cited problems relating to surgical attire as the most common breach seen in the OR, and it was the second most-cited issue by survey respondents. ![]() Surgical hand antisepsis/handscrubs are effective only if all surfaces are exposed to the mechanical cleaning and chemical antisepsis process. The surgical hand scrub should be accomplished according to the manufacturers written directions for use using either an antimicrobial surgical scrub agent intended for this purpose, or an alcohol-based antiseptic surgical hand rub with persistent and cumulative activity that has met the FDA requirements for surgical hand antisepsis. ![]() "Although the skin can never be rendered sterile, it can be made surgically clean by reducing the number of microorganisms. "According to AORNs Recommended Practices for Hand Hygiene, a surgical hand scrub should be performed by all members of the surgical team before donning sterile gown and gloves," Van Wicklin says. any time there is a possibility that there has been contact with blood or other surfaces before putting gloves on and after removing gloves or other protective equipment upon arrival at the healthcare facility Van Wicklin reminds practitioners that hand hygiene should be performed: "Proper hand hygiene protects both patients and health care workers from exposure to blood, body fluids, microorganisms and other hazardous substances." Van Wicklin, MSN, RN, CNOR, CRNFA, CPSN, PLNC, a perioperative nursing specialist with the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). The importance of proper hand hygiene cannot be overemphasized as this is the single most important measure to reduce the spread of microorganisms," says Sharon A. 1 breach reported in the 2011 survey, with 25 percent of respondents consistently reporting a failure by OR personnel to engage in timely, proper hand disinfection, especially after removing gloves. Lack of or improper hand hygiene was the No. They are ALL necessary steps to create an environment of the highest standards to prevent infection." When asked what they thought was the most critical component, 66 percent cited maintaining the sterile field 61 percent cited surgical scrub/hand antisepsis 53 percent cited patient skin prep 30 percent cited proper barrier protection, and 23 percent pointed to other concerns that will be discussed in this article.Ī savvy respondent summed it up by saying that a "sterile conscience" was most critical, "because if an individual has that, all things mentioned above will be covered completely," while another respondent emphasized, "I don't feel one of these are more weighted than the next in steps of prevention. One year later, the story remains the same, essentially, with a few tiny shifts in perception of priorities. When asked what they believed was the most critical component of infection prevention and control in the OR, 76 percent cited maintaining the sterile field 57 percent cited proper patient skin prep 55 percent cited proper surgical scrub/hand antisepsis 43 percent cited proper barrier protection and 28 percent cited other concerns. Last year, we surveyed professionals working in surgical services and perioperative nursing and infection prevention about how well recommended practices are being implemented in the surgical suites across the U.S. ![]()
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