What is an Operating Department Practitioner and What Do They Do?

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If you’re considering a new career in healthcare, or even a career shift, few working environments are more challenging yet more rewarding than an operating theatre.

We’ve got a comprehensive guide to the various roles and responsibilities in an operating theatre. We’ve also got a dedicated guide to the key responsibilities for operating theatre managers.

In this post we’ll take a closer look at the work of an operating department practitioner.

What is an Operating Department Practitioner?

Operating department practitioners play a vital role in all three stages of perioperative care:

  • Anaesthetic
  • Surgery
  • Recovery

Anaesthetic

Operating department practitioners provide essential help to patients before surgery. They might supervise patients to ensure they’re ready for their procedure. And where necessary, they might offer words of comfort and support.

Operating department practitioners will also support anaesthetists through helping them prepare their equipment and drugs. You’ll help set up anaesthetic machines, intravenous equipment, and the devices for securing the patient’s airways while they’re under anaesthetics.

Surgery

Operating department practitioners are a key part of the surgery team. Once again, they’ll support surgeons through preparing all the necessary instruments and equipment for the procedure, such as microscopes and endoscopes.

During the procedure, operating department practitioners will provide the surgeon with all the correct instruments and materials. They’ll also act as a link between the surgical team and the other parts of the theatre and the hospital. Good communication can help decrease turnaround times between procedures, but it’s also vital to effective emergency response.

In short, during procedures, operating department practitioners must learn to anticipate the requirements of the surgical team and respond quickly and effectively. So surgical teams depend utterly on operating department practitioners. When ODPs take care of their practical and clinical needs, surgeons are free to concentrate entirely on the procedure.

Recovery

Following the procedure, operating department practitioners support and monitor the patient once they arrive in the recovery unit. You may have to provide appropriate treatment while they recover from the short-term effects of the anaesthesia and surgery. And you’ll conduct the assessment to determine whether the patient’s ready for discharge to a ward.

What Else Does an Operating Department Practitioner Do?

Operating department practitioners might have the opportunity to specialise in different clinical specialities, or even to work across a wide variety of specialities.

You may also play an educational role, delivering training on clinical skills, resilience, and wellbeing to staff, students and learners.

For a good idea of the day in the life of an operating department practitioner, read this personal account from Jordan, an ODP at The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Delivering Exceptional Care Quality Standards

At Cairn Technology, we specialise in helping operating theatre teams improve efficiency and care quality standards.

In the operating theatre, the smallest thing can make a huge difference. For example, absorbent floor mats can collect all excess fluid during a procedure, and they can be simply picked up and discarded afterwards. So you’ll spend less time mopping between procedures, which will improve health and safety standards while also significantly cutting down on turnaround times.

We can provide expert advice on improving operational effectiveness in the theatre, as well as specialist consultation on effective infection control. Get in touch to talk to one of our friendly experts today.

Ambulance Cleaning and Decontamination Checklist

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Regularly and thoroughly cleaning and decontaminating ambulances is essential for effective infection prevention and control.

Ambulance Cleaning and Decontamination Challenges

But there are several factors that make ambulance cleaning and decontamination challenging. It can be cramped inside an ambulance, and the sheer amount of equipment contained within can make quick cleans particularly difficult. Plus, ambulances also contain numerous delicate medical devices, which alcohol or chlorine-based disinfectants could easily damage.

But the biggest barrier to effective ambulance cleaning and decontamination is the need to keep downtime to a minimum. Ambulances are in high demand, and crews often use them in shifts. This leaves very little spare time for routine cleaning and decontamination.

How to Overcome Cleaning Challenges

So to overcome these challenges, ambulance services need to establish a cleaning procedure that is as fast and straightforward as possible. And at the same time, they must make use of cleaning products that run no risk of damaging or corroding any delicate equipment.

Ambulance Cleaning Checklist – An Example

Working to a checklist will help ambulance crews ensure they’re as thorough as possible in their limited windows for cleaning. A methodical approach will ensure that nothing gets overlooked during the cleaning and decontamination process.

Here’s an example ambulance cleaning checklist that covers all possible bases:

Item  
Door knobs and handles  
Door surface  
Patient bed  
Sitting couch  
Steering wheel  
Driver’s seat and other driving equipment  
Light switches  
Patient transfer trolley  
Other horizontal surfaces  
Windowsills  
Walls and corners  
Cardiac monitor  
Defibrillator  
Ventilator  
Leads (e.g. ECG)  
O2 Flowmeters  
ECG Machines  
Medicine Trolley  
Bed Sheets (Changed)  
Almira  
   
Signature:  

 

Hand Hygiene and PPE

Cleaning the interior of the ambulance is a vital part of infection prevention and control. But between cleaning procedures, ambulance staff can adopt measures to reduce the risk of infection.

Good hand hygiene is just as important in the ambulance as it is in any other healthcare environment. Paramedics should wash their hands at five key points:

  • Before they touch a patient.
  • After they touch a patient.
  • After touching a patient’s immediate surroundings.
  • Before undertaking any clean or antiseptic procedures.
  • After any body fluid exposure risk.

Paramedics should follow a specific hand washing technique to ensure thorough cleanliness. And they should have access to effective antimicrobial hand sanitiser as close as possible to the point of care.

They should also wear the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) for the task at hand.

For more information about good practice for staff, read our full guide to standard infection control precautions.

Choosing the Correct Ambulance Cleaning Products

The choice of cleaning product can make a huge difference in ambulance cleaning turnaround time.

Virusolve®+ Wipes are an effective one-step solution. They clean, sanitise and disinfect surfaces at once, so there’s no need to prepare surfaces beforehand, or treat them afterwards.

They’re odourless, colourless, non-hazardous, non-irritant, non-flammable and non-corrosive, so they’re safe to use on even the most delicate medical equipment. They can be used on any surface, including carpets and upholstery, and as they’re hypo-allergenic there’s no risk of triggering reactions in patients.

Using absorbent mats for certain procedures in the ambulance can also help reduce downtime. Some brands of floor mat can absorb up to 8.5 litres of water or 3.5 litres of saline, whilst non-slip alternatives may still prove useful for smaller spills of fluid up to 2 litres. Then afterwards, you can simply dispose of the mat and apply a fresh one. This means you won’t have to spend so long cleaning spills on surfaces.

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you ensure your ambulance cleaning process is as fast, effective and thorough as possible.

Key Responsibilities for Operating Theatre Managers

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Operating theatre managers are responsible for ensuring the successful running of the operating theatre environment.

But what does this actually involve? What does an operating theatre manager actually do?

In this post we’ll discuss some of the key responsibilities for operating theatre managers, while exploring ways managers can improve efficiency and care standards in their role.

Bear in mind: here we’re assessing an operating theatre manager’s general responsibilities. But for an idea of the specific challenges operating theatre managers may face today, be sure to read our guide to current issues in operating theatres.

What Are The Key Responsibilities for Operating Theatre Managers?

The operating theatre manager is responsible for most of the day-to-day operational issues within the operating department. They might be responsible for managing one department, or they might oversee operations across multiple sites.

Leadership, advice and communication
Operating theatre managers lead both medical and non-medical theatre staff. They provide professional leadership to the theatre teams, often providing professional and clinical advice regarding procedures and perioperative care, when necessary. At the same time, they’ll supervise all non-medical staff while promoting multidisciplinary teamwork and effective communication between team members at all levels.

Motivation and mentorship
A good operating theatre manager will focus on motivating and developing their team through providing mentorship, and through setting objectives and ensuring their delivery through personal development plans and appraisals.

Development and research
As well as developing their teams, the operating theatre manager will also work towards developing their departments. They might participate in research projects and research-based practice. They might also lead on the assessment, development and implementation of new evidence-based programmes for improved quality of care.

Budgeting, payroll and resource management
Finally, the operating theatre manager will supervise the administrative and logistical side of the operating theatre. This will involve overseeing the department’s budget and payroll, taking the lead on risk management and Health and Safety policies, and implementing resource management strategies. Operating theatre managers may also lead on developing effective infection prevention and control policies.

How Can Operating Theatre Managers Help Improve Quality and Efficiency in their Departments?

The NHS Productive Operating Theatre strategy recommends that operating theatre managers should commit to regular walk-arounds of the departments they oversee, as this can help them better understand the issues their frontline staff face each day.

Many operating theatre managers take such a hands-on approach. But it can be easy for some managers to lose sight of their department’s daily operations, particularly if they manage multiple sites.

Regular visits, along with regular discussions with staff, can help operating theatre managers get a reliable overview of their departments’ operational status. Areas of focus should include equipment availability and functionality, staff rotas, the number of cancellations and delays, and whether or not operating lists finish on schedule.

The NHS Productive Operating Theatre strategy also details how a well-organised theatre should run, with advice on improving patient preparation and turnaround. It also identifies seven key sources of waste in operating theatres. You can read our full guide to improving quality and efficiency in operating theatres here.

Investing in an Efficient Operating Theatre

Implementing resource management strategies is a key responsibility for an operating theatre manager. Operating theatre managers also oversee their department budgets, and a good manager will constantly seek ways they can invest their available funds to improve efficiency without compromising on quality of care.

The specific choice of equipment can make a huge difference to the department’s overall efficiency, but also to infection prevention and control – one of the major challenges operating theatre managers face in a post pandemic world.

This is one area where the smallest thing can make a significant difference. For example, high quality absorbent operating theatre floor mats can be simply picked up and discarded following procedures. This means that theatre teams will spend less time mopping between operations. So teams can significantly reduce the turnaround times between procedures while removing a major health and safety risk – slippery floors – all without compromising on hygiene standards.

At Cairn Technology, we specialise in helping operating theatre managers improve efficiency and care quality standards in their departments. Whether you want a consultation on effective infection control, or some advice on improving operational effectiveness in the theatre, our experts are here to help.

Get in touch to talk to one of our experts today.

The Importance of Fluid Management in Burns Patients

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Severe fluid loss following injuries is a major issue for burns patients – particularly if their injuries are substantial. Most treatments for burns involve fluid resuscitation procedures – which is one reason why effective fluid management is central to the treatment of burns patients.

Why Fluid Management Matters for Burns Patients

Good fluid management in burns patient is vital for three reasons:

  • The fluid management of major burns has a huge impact on the patient’s survival and recovery.
  • Excess or spilled fluids can cause a slipping hazard, as well as an infection risk.
  • The need to clean excessive fluids can increase the turnaround times between procedures, affecting the overall efficiency of the operating theatre.

Fluid Management Techniques for Burns Injuries

Fluid management procedures for major burn injuries are designed to maintain tissue perfusion while replacing intravascular fluid loss in order to prevent organ hypoperfusion and ischaemia. The nature of the procedure will depend on the extent and location of the patient’s injuries, as well as their age. Children and elderly patients may need more intensive treatment, for example.

Depending on the patient’s circumstances, fluid management will either be achieved via an intravascular procedure, or through enteral resuscitation with balanced salt solutions.

Practitioners use a variety of formulae when calculating the volume of resuscitation fluid to use when treating burns patients. These formulae take into account both the patient’s bodyweight and their burn surface area, though practitioners may use specific formulae when treating child patients to account for their higher surface area to mass ratio.

The resuscitation used in burn fluid management procedures is designed to restore plasma volume while minimising adverse effects, such as the risk of infection. Read our full guide to preventing infections in burns patients.

The Role of Sterile mats in Effective Fluid Management in Burns Patients

Absorbent mats can play a crucial role in effective fluid management in burns patients. They can help keep both staff and the treatment area dry, which means fewer slipping hazards, improved infection control, and a reduced turnaround time between procedures.

Cairn Technology’s  DryMax Sterile Mats can absorb up to 6 litres of water or 2.4 litres of saline. Place the DryMax Sterile Mat next to the burns patient during their fluid management procedure and it’ll effectively help to capture all the various drips and spills created by the procedure.

Then following the procedure, you can simply dispose of the mat in the appropriate waste channel. This will allow for faster and more effective cleaning between procedures. So, as well as making your procedure cleaner and safer, it can also help make your burns unit as a whole run smoother and more efficiently.

Our DryMax Sterile Mats are completely latex-free. You can use them flat, folded or rolled depending on your needs.

Head here to learn more about how our DryMax Sterile Mats can contribute to effective fluid management in burns patients while helping boost your theatre’s overall efficiency.

Want to try some samples of DryMax Sterile Mats or to discuss your theatre’s fluid collection requirements? Call 0333 015 4345 or email info@cairntechnology.com.

 

Disposable Absorbent Mats: Inco Pads vs. T-Mat

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Inco pads have long been the preferred solution for fluid control during certain hospital procedures.

What is an Inco Pad?

Despite the name (“inco” is short for “incontinence”), inco pads are no longer widely used for managing incontinence. Instead, they’re used as “procedure underpads”, to provide a temporary protective layer during procedures.

What Are Inco Pads Used For?

Practitioners use inco pads to protect laundry, furniture and equipment in clinical settings during certain fluid-intensive procedures. As a Standard Infection Control Precaution (SICP), this helps prevent cross-contamination.

Practitioners also use inco pads on floors to soak up fluid spills. This helps prevent slips and trips, the most common cause of injury in all workplaces. And because the pads are disposable, they can help reduce cleaning time and, by extension, turnaround time between procedures. So in a small yet significant way, procedure underpads can make the hospital as a whole more efficient.

The Problem With Inco Pads

Despite their relative ubiquity in healthcare settings, inco pads are by no means the most effective solution for fluid control during procedures.

This is because:

  • Slippery backing
    Some inco pads feature a waterproof backing which can be slippery, especially when wet. So instead of preventing slips and trips, some inco pads can become slip hazards themselves.
  • Can’t handle high volumes of fluid
    Inco pads areabsorbent, but only to a point. They may not have the capacity to manage high volumes of fluids, so they may not be suitable for certain procedures. Inco pads also tend to drip when lifted, meaning that the floor then needs to be mopped after use and cross-infection risks are more likely.
  • Potential source of infection
    There are concerns that inco pads may act as a potential source of infection through recycled cellulose. Though studies show the risk may be minimal if practitioners use the products as directed, they may still pose a minor risk for immunocompromised patients.

T-Mats – Advanced Fluid Management for All Procedures

If you are looking for a more absorbent solution that won’t drip, the T-Mat is a good alternative. It is the most absorbent floor mat on the market, capable of absorbing up to 8.5 litres of water or 3.5 litres of saline. This makes it perfect for use in operating theatres, though it’s also suitable for use in other settings, including maternity wards and burns units.

Within minutes the T-Mat gels liquids, becoming dry to the touch. It binds the fluid hygienically, so you can dispose of it in the clinical waste without any dripping. And because they’re more absorbent, you’ll likely only have to use one T-Mat for each procedure. On the other hand, you may have to plough through numerous inco pads during some procedures, which will slow you down while creating far more waste than necessary.

Also, where the waterproof backings of inco pads can present a slip hazard, T-Mats are non-slip and absorb fluid from below as well as above. So, as well as absorbing more liquid for more effective infection control, they’re also more effective at improving health and safety in the clinical environment.

Watch this short 46 second video to see how a T-Mat rapidly absorbs fluid and turns it to gel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOQht1vrnL4

T-Mats – Try Before You Buy

T-Mats are exclusively available from Cairn Technology. These 72x36cm mats are available in packs of 100, so a single pack goes a long way.

Want to see for yourself how the T-Mat can dramatically improve cleanliness and efficiency during procedures? Then get in touch to request some samples. Then you can experience first-hand how the T-Mat compares to your current fluid management solution in terms of cost and performance.

To request some T-Mat samples, call us on 0333 015 4345. One of our representatives can even be on-hand in the theatre, to help you make the most of your sample T-Mat during your trial procedure.

 

How to Increase Efficiency and Reduce Infection in Shoulder Arthroscopies

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A shoulder arthroscopy is a form of keyhole surgery that can both diagnose and treat problems in the shoulder. Used to treat injuries and chronic conditions such as arthritis, it involves making small cuts in the skin before using a tiny camera – the arthroscope – to identify problems and guide any repairs.

Key Challenges Associated with Shoulder Arthroscopies

Like all surgical procedures, arthroscopies carry an infection risk for both staff and patient.

Chest Infections

If the patient’s a smoker, for example, they may have an increased risk of getting a chest or wound infection, while the surgeon may encounter certain complications during the procedure.

Surgical Site Infections

Even if the patient is not a smoker, there will still be the risk of surgical site infection, whereby micro-organisms might enter the body and multiply in the tissues.

Also, all bodily fluids can act as a vector for infection. The longer any discharges from an incision remain in an area, the greater the risk of infection.

Saline and Bodily Fluid Spills

Finally, during shoulder arthroscopy procedures, surgeons may inject saline to help them get a clearer view of the area. Heavy use of fluid during a procedure, combined with spilled bodily fluids, can create a serious hazard in the theatre environment.

Increasing Efficiency and Reducing Infection During Shoulder Arthroscopies

A few initiatives can help with infection prevention and control in operating theatre environments:

Beyond this, increasing efficiency and reducing infection during shoulder arthroscopies is largely a question of effective fluid control.

Effective Fluid Control During Shoulder Arthroscopies

Saline fluids are an integral part of the shoulder arthroscopy procedure. Some spills are inevitable. However, with the right equipment you can effectively capture and contain any fluids spilled during the procedure to increase cleanliness, reduce infection risk, and improve your turnaround time between procedures.

Reduce Spills & Stay Dry

Sterile absorbent mats are specifically designed to help surgeons stay as dry as possible during shoulder arthroscopies and other procedures, while reducing infection risk.

For example, Cairn Technology’s DryMax Sterile absorbent mats are 75 x 37cm and absorb up to 6 litres of water or 2.4 litres of saline. This makes them perfect for procedures that involve heavy use of irrigation fluid – particularly shoulder arthroscopies, in which it is common for patients to be positioned in such a way that makes spillages more likely.

By simply placing the DryMax Sterile Mat next to the patient, underneath the shoulder joint you’re operating on, it will then effectively capture all the various drips and spills created by the procedure, whether that’s excess saline or bodily fluids. This simple yet effective solution will keep both the patient and the surgeon drier and more comfortable during the arthroscopy procedure.

Improve Turn-Around Time

After the procedure, you can simply dispose of the DryMax Sterile mat in the appropriate waste channel. This will help significantly reduce turnaround times between procedures, helping make your operating theatre as a whole run smoother and more efficiently.

Head here to learn more about how our DryMax Sterile Mats can help you perform shoulder arthroscopies more efficiently.

Want to discuss your theatre’s fluid collection requirements? Call 0333 015 4345 or email info@cairntechnology.com.

 

How to Perform Knee & Other Arthroscopies More Efficiently

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Arthroscopy keyhole surgery procedures are highly effective at removing and repairing damaged tissues in joints. Though the process is most commonly used on the knees, you can also perform arthroscopies on hips, shoulders, wrists, elbows and ankles.

Key Risks Associated With Arthroscopies

As well as removing or repairing damaged sections of tissue, an arthroscopy procedure can involve using a sterile liquid to wash out damaged bits of tissue. Surgeons might also use sterile fluids to fill and expand the joint, to make the procedure easier to view.

This is where many surgeons encounter difficulties. Over the course of the procedure, there can be varying levels of fluids either applied to or discharged from the incision. Any fluid spilled on the operating theatre floor can create a range of problems:

Infection Risk of Knee Arthroscopies

 All bodily fluids can be a vector for infection. The longer any discharges from an incision remain in an area, the greater the risk of infection.

Slipping hazard of Arthroscopies

An operating theatre environment contains a vulnerable person (the patient) and lots of sharp objects and expensive equipment. Even a minor slip or fall could prove catastrophic.

Arthroscopy Inefficiency

Fluids on the floor of the operating theatre will need to be cleaned, which could increase the turnaround time between procedures.

How to Perform Knee & Other Arthroscopies More Efficiently

To perform knee and other arthroscopies more effectively, you need to focus on the fluid – which is arguably the biggest contributor to the risks and inefficiencies associated with the procedure. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to prevent fluid spillage entirely, as fluids are often an integral part of the procedure, while discharges are an inevitable by-product.

So instead, you should focus on capturing and containing fluids to prevent them from causing any further problems.

Managing Fluid in Knee Arthroscopies

We designed our DryMax Sterile Mats to help surgeons stay dry during arthroscopies. These 75 x 37cm mats can absorb up to 6 litres of water or 2.4 litres of saline, making them perfect for procedures like arthroscopies that involve heavy use of irrigation fluid.

Place the DryMax Sterile Mat next to the patient underneath the joint you’re operating on, and it’ll effectively capture the various drips and spills created by the procedure.

Not only will this keep both the patient and the surgeon drier and more comfortable during the arthroscopy procedure, it will also contribute to infection prevention and control while reducing the risk of slips.

Then, after the arthroscopy, you can simply dispose of the mat, which will help reduce turnaround times between operating procedures. So as well as making your procedure cleaner and safer, it can also help make your operating theatre as a whole run smoother and more efficiently.

It’s completely latex-free and you can use it flat, folded or rolled, depending on your needs.

Head here to learn more about how our DryMax Sterile Mats can help you perform knee and other arthroscopies more efficiently.

Want to discuss your theatre’s fluid collection requirements? Call 0333 015 4345 or email info@cairntechnology.com.

Preventing Infections in Burns Patients

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All patients are at risk from infection in hospitals and healthcare settings. But the risks are particularly high for burns patients.

High Infection Risk in Burns Patients

This is for three reasons:

  • Burns patients invariably spend an extended period in the hospital. The longer any patient’s hospitalisation, the more frequently they’ll face common sources of nosocomial infections.
  • Burns patients frequently undergo invasive procedures as part of their treatment.
  • The nature of a burns patient’s injuries involves the loss of skin barrier protection against micro-organisms, and treatment often involves induced immunosuppression, which will only make them more vulnerable to infection.

So burns patients present a particular challenge for hospital staff.

In this post, we’ll explore some essential techniques and products that can help prevent infections in burns patients.

Standard Infection Control Precautions for Burns Patients

The Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs) are a set of practices that every member of staff in every healthcare setting must follow. They apply to every patient, every setting, every time.

For more information, you can read our full guide to SICPs. But a crucial consideration for burns patients is the first precaution: Patient placement, and assessing a patient’s infection risk.

Dedicated Burns Unit

The patient placement precaution involves placing patients in accordance with their clinical or care needs, while isolating patients who either have a high risk of infection, or who show a high risk of cross-infection.

It’s for this reason that hospitals should have dedicated burns units, where staff can take extra precautions to reduce the patients’ potential exposure to nosocomial infections.

Regular Hand Washing For Burns Patients

Hospital staff should wash their hands at five key points:

  • Before you touch a patient.
  • After you touch a patient.
  • After you touch a patient’s immediate surroundings.
  • Before you undertake any clean or antiseptic procedures.
  • After any body fluid exposure risk.

There’s also a specific technique you should follow to wash your hands. For most healthcare settings, it should take at least 20 seconds. But in a burns unit, where the risks of infection are higher than elsewhere, staff may have to commit to an even more thorough hand hygiene regime.

PPE For Treating Burns Patients

Burns patients often lose their skin barrier protection against micro-organisms. So when treating burns patients, the correct PPE is vital. It can create an effective barrier against many common sources of infection, which can help ensure that the healthcare worker does not pass on an infection to the burns patient.

You’ll find a number of guides to effective PPE use on our site:

Infection Control for Burns Patients with Sterile Mats

Burns patients often have to undergo frequent invasive procedures as part of their treatment. Alongside numerous other infection control measures, absorbent mats can help you reduce the risks of infection while also cutting down on your turnaround time between procedures.

Our DryMax Sterile Mats can absorb up to 6 litres of water or 2.4 litres of saline. Place the DryMax Sterile Mat next to the patient and it’ll effectively help to capture all the various drips and spills created by the procedure.

Not only will this keep both the patient and the surgeon drier and more comfortable during the procedure, it will also contribute to infection prevention and control while reducing the risk of slips.

Then, after the procedure, you can simply dispose of the mat, allowing for more faster and effective cleaning between procedures. So as well as making your procedure cleaner and safer, it can also help make your unit as a whole run smoother and more efficiently.

It’s completely latex-free and you can use it flat, folded or rolled, depending on your needs.

Head here to learn more about how our DryMax Sterile Mats can help with infection control for burns patients.

Want to discuss your theatre’s fluid collection requirements? Call 0333 015 4345 or email info@cairntechnology.com.

 

Health & Safety in Operating Theatres – Hazards & Precautions

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Just like any other working environment, working in an operating theatre comes with numerous occupational hazards. However, in an operating theatre, these hazards can mean life or death. Even the smallest accident could seriously jeopardise the patient’s safety.

The question of health & safety in operating theatres is a deep one. Organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regularly produce extensive documents advising on theatre safety on both an operational and a managerial level.

So in this post, we’ll provide an essential overview of the sort of hazards theatre staff may face, and the sort of precautions that could help them manage risk. Please note that in this post we’ll focus on staff safety rather than patient safety.

Also be sure to check out our introduction to improving quality and efficiency in operating theatres.

Common Hazards in Operating Theatres

Speaking as broadly as possible, we might categorise the common hazards staff face in operating theatres as follows:

  • Accidents, including slips, trips, and falls.
  • Exposure to hazardous substances.
  • Contamination and infection.

Let’s look at each of these hazards in turn, along with some of the precautions that could help prevent accidents.

Accidents in Operating Theatres – Slips, Trips and Falls

Just like in any other workplace, operating theatre staff can slip on spilled fluids, or trip and fall on a loose wire or a misplaced bit of equipment.

One of the many recommendations made in the NHS Productive Operating Theatre strategy concerns the layout of operating theatres. They advise removing any non-essential items from the area, and assigning each object a set place in the room.

These recommendations are primarily in place to ensure operational efficiency. If everyone knows where everything is, then operations can proceed with fewer interruptions.

But a well-ordered operating theatre is also a much safer operating theatre. If there are no non-essential items in the area, and if everything is in its right place, then in theory there’ll be no obstacles for theatre staff to trip over as they carry out their work.

The Importance of Good Theatre Hygiene

The guidelines also recommend regularly cleaning and maintaining the operating theatre environment. This is mainly for patient safety, to reduce the risks of infection. But it can also contribute to staff safety. Promptly cleaning any fluids spilled on the floor makes it less likely that anyone will slip and fall.

The right equipment can make a huge difference here. For example, non-drip absorbent operating theatre floor mats can soak up any spilled fluids before they become a health and safety hazard. Then, after the operation, they can simply be picked up, discarded and replaced. This will reduce the turnaround time between operations while also removing the need to mop, so staff won’t have to worry about wet and slippery surfaces.

Exposure to Hazardous Substances

Operating theatre procedures make use of a number of substances which can pose a health hazard  if staff are exposed to them for long periods.

A key culprit in the operating theatre is Isoflurane, which anaesthetists use to maintain a state of general anaesthesia. If inhaled in its vapor form, Isoflurane can cause headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. But long-term exposure can lead to chronic health conditions, including renal, hepatic, and reproductive disorders.

Like all potentially hazardous substances, so long as it’s properly stored, and so long as your equipment is properly maintained, then Isoflurane should pose no problems. But as the substance is so volatile, even the smallest spillage or leak poses a health hazard.

Prevention, and the Cure

Another key recommendation in the NHS Productive Operating Theatre strategy is to stay on top of your equipment maintenance. Again, this is primarily to ensure patient safety, as you cannot depend on faulty equipment to do the job you need it to do. But it’s also to ensure staff safety, to ensure that, for example, any leaks are fixed before they pose a problem.

Wearing adequate PPE when handling or cleaning substances will also help you manage this hazard. But for total peace of mind, get a workplace exposure monitoring report for any area of your hospital where staff are exposed to hazardous substances.

A comprehensive report will include clear and actionable recommendations, so you’ll know exactly where the risks lie and exactly what to do to protect your staff.

Contamination and Infection in Operating Theatres

Infection control measures in operating theatres put the patient’s needs first, as surgical site infections (SSIs) account for around 20% of all hospital-acquired infections.

But of course, any measure that protects patients from infection will also protect staff from infection.

Operating theatres must be aseptic, highly-sterile, and restricted environments. Achieving this requires good air ventilation, strategic zoning, and numerous infection control precautions.

You can read our full guide to cleaning for infection prevention and control in operating theatres here.

PPE also plays a huge part in protecting both staff and patient from infection. It’s not just a question of selecting the right PPE for the task at hand. Just as important is applying and removing the PPE in the correct order.

Health and Safety in Operating Theatres – Essential Support, Solutions, and Guidance

We offer many services and solutions that can help you stay on top of health and safety in the operating theatre.

Our services include:

  • Air purification
  • Face-fit testing for PPE effectiveness
  • Workplace exposure monitoring services
  • Washroom hygiene solutions
  • Fluid management solutions, including absorbent floor mats
  • Cleaning equipment, disposal containers, and sanitising chemicals

Our experts are always on-hand to discuss your needs. So if you’d like some guidance health and safety in operating theatres, get in touch to talk to an expert today.

 

Current Issues in Operating Theatres

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Operating theatre teams around the world face fresh challenges every year. In this post we’ll explore some of the current issues in operating theatres, and examine the ways in which operating theatre teams are rising to meet these challenges.

Infection Control and Ventilation

The pandemic caused severe disruption to all surgical specialties. UK operating theatres cancelled elective surgical procedures while avoiding aerosol generating procedures (AGPs).

A recent paper in the Royal College of Surgeons annals reported on how operating theatres across the world had used negative pressure environments to reduce the spread of infectious airborne particles during AGPs. This paper went on to present an overview on how operating theatre ventilation systems can work to reduce both virus transmissions and surgical site infections (SSIs).

The paper concludes that, while there is not yet enough evidence to recommend that all operating theatres convert to negative pressure environments, all health settings should have negative pressure rooms available for high-risk patients.

Head here to read the latest research on operating theatre ventilation in the Royal College of Surgeons annals.

You can also read our guide to cleaning for infection prevention and control in operating theatres.

Improving Operating Room Efficiency

One of the current issues in operating theatres is how to improve efficiency while reducing turnaround time between procedures. A recent paper in Folio 3 Digital Health explored the possibilities of using Internet of Things (IOT) devices to improve operating room efficiency best practices.

“Smart” medical equipment allows for predictive maintenance, so teams can address any potential issues long before they become problems. IOT devices can also help reduce medical errors during surgical processes through allowing for faster and more powerful data sharing among the operating team.

Head here to read the full paper on the possibilities of IOT devices in operating theatres.

In June 2020, the NHS England Improvement Hub published a resource entitled The Productive Operating Theatre. This is a series of modules designed to help theatre teams work together to improve the quality of the patient experience and the safety of surgical services. The resource outlines ways in which theatres can make best use of available time and expertise.

Head here to access the full suite of Productive Operating Theatre resources.

Consumables and Equipment Management

A key focus area for improving operating theatre efficiency is good management of consumables and equipment. Investing in connected IOT devices might be a good long-term goal. But lower-tech solutions can help operating theatre teams make huge improvements to efficiency in the short-term too.

For example, we stock a range of absorbent floor mats designed to capture fluids during surgical procedures. They can help you to optimise your fluid management, which won’t just improve health and safety – it’ll also optimise your turnaround times between procedures.

Communication and Working Together to Overcome Challenges

The Association for Perioperative Practice recently ran an online survey asking theatre nurses to share their experiences of work, and the challenges they face in the theatre environment.

The charity aimed to highlight issues such as bullying, pressure, and support from senior members. As in an operating theatre environment, these issues don’t just result in unpleasant working environments. The working environment can affect patient safety and outcomes.

The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, first published in 2010, contains numerous measures to help operating theatres foster a supportive environment based on mutual respect. For example, it outlines that all surgical procedures should start with a briefing, during which senior staff members should actively welcome queries and concerns from junior staff members.

Head here to read our full guide to the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist.

Improving the Running of Your Operating Theatre

At Cairn Technology, we’re here to help you run your operating theatre more efficiently and effectively. We have a number of products and services to help you do that, and a team of experts on hand to give you the advice you need.

For example, our absorbent floor mats can help you to optimise your fluid management to help your health and safety and turnaround times, as well as other surgical supplies for infection control and high-level performance.

Do You Have a Question About Current Issues in Operating Theatres?

Whether you want a consultation on effective infection control, or some advice on improving operational effectiveness in the theatre, our experts are here to help.

Get in touch to talk to one of our experts today.