Use of data set to assess risk of sharps-related blood and body fluid exposure
Editor's Note In this study from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, researchers used a unique multicomponent administrative data set to examine the risk of percutaneous blood and body fluid exposures in the OR over a 10-year period. Of some 333,000 surgical procedures performed, 2,113 blood and body fluid exposures were…
Reusable protective eyewear tied to greater risk of contamination
Protective eyewear is supposed to prevent infectious materials from reaching the eyes of OR staff, but recent research has revealed a link between reusable protective eyewear and an increased risk of cross contamination and infection. “We found that the protective eyewear itself can be a causal factor in ongoing contamination,”…
Former OR Manager of the Year directs team at Nebraska biocontainment unit
Two OR nurses are part of a diverse team that cares for Ebola patients at the Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit in Omaha, and the team’s nursing director is Shelly Schwedhelm, MSN, RN, a former OR Manager of the Year. “I chose OR nurses to be on the team because…
Forum
To the Editor: I have read the article titled, "Blunting sharps injuries in the OR continues to be a work in progress" (January 2010) and would like to add information about research that I have carried out on the ability of the hands-free technique to reduce the risk of transmission…
