Efficiency in the operating room relates to the elimination of steps. Efficiency can be defined roughly as the amount of work done for the energy put in. Extra steps mean more energy and time expenditure. These extra steps can also mean more chances for errors or mistakes.
For a surgical environment, a reduction in complexity allows for a higher level of focus, more resources for support and ultimately circumstances promoting overall safety and better outcomes.
Workflow Disruptions and Lost Efficiency
Wound closures are representative of procedures involving multiple coordinated steps. The clinician depends on the assistance of a scrub tech who dispenses and secures suture needles. The process involves a series of needle passes which reduce OR efficiency and increase chances for issues:
- Downtime during scrub tech needle counts
- Scrub tech distraction and incorrect counts due to multitasking
- Dropped needles
- Varied scrub tech competency levels
- Mid-process scrub tech changeovers
- Lack of scrub techs
- Scrub tech deterrence due to multitasking demands
- Needle exchanges over the shoulder
A Centralized Solution
Safety-engineered needle traps that mount directly to a drape, a wrist strap or an arm-mounted barrier keep activity centralized. The ergonomic placement of the suture pack in conjunction with any off-the-shelf suture pack allows the clinician to safely self-dispense and self-secure needles at the operating site.
The arrangement minimizes the chances of needle drops or needle sticks during an exchange. It also improves OR efficiency and reduces procedure time by freeing the scrub tech to attend to other tasks, such as counts and OR breakdown.
Key benefits:
- Elimination of exposed-needle handling and passage
- Removal of distracting multi-tasking event for scrub techs
- Clinician-controlled closure pace
- Improvement of OR efficiency and workflow
Sharp Fluidics, LLC,based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a developer and marketer of groundbreaking innovations for OR safety and efficiency. Contact the team at (866) 951-5777 or via the website to learn more.
