Visitors in OR

It requires approval from the Director of the OR there as well as written permission from the patient as well prior to the surgery being started.

First question would be: why are their visitors there in the first place? For what reason? Are they just golf buddies of the physician that want to see how something is done, or why?

Are they a rep for the company that is supplying instrumentation for the case?

So a patient having surgery is consenting in writing to having a 13 year old girl in there to watch and observe their surgery?! That's seems odd and inadvisable especially as she is a minor. I would think this is something most lawyers would argue against as well. Do you have a Risk Management or Legal Dept you can turn to at this facility?!

Visitors? Like people that have nothing to do with the surgery? If they aren't reps that are assisting with using new equipment or med students that the doc is mentoring then this is not cool. And the patient should always be informed before surgery of persons other than the OR team that may be present. If the patient objects then the visitors don't get in the door. I had a problem with the plastics guys having other docs (not plastic surgeons) come in to watch breast augs. Basically the docs were ogling the women and they especially wanted to see the women when we sat them upright to verify placement and fill of the implants. My objections to this practice were not noted and I was put on the doc's poopy list for daring to say that this was unethical. Despite the fact that we were supposed to cover the windows so others couldn't see in but it was ok if other docs actually came in the door. Now I remember one of the reasons that I got out of the O.R.