Masks in OR

[Toni Walker, RN]

A question has come up at our facility. We recently read that Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX got sited by CMS for OR personnel outside of the OR area with their masks around their necks. Now our OR personnel would like to know, "Do you have to change masks if you are a non-sterile worker who rotates between rooms (like RTs)?"

[CaliLvr000, BSN, RN]

Yes, at our facility we are not allowed to leave the department with masks on. Masks around the neck are not allowed because it shows reuse of the mask (we were sited for this as well). So either masks are on or completely off. As for changing masks between cases, I always do because I do not want to transfer bugs from one pt to another.