The room is open........

IsseyM · Nov 7, 2006

How are things done at your hospital? I do realize that there is normally a policy in place, but I want to know what staff do in practice as well as what is written.
After the OR suite is opened and set up what do you do?
Is it "watched" until the patient is in the room? If it is a "clean" case vs. sterile is the room watched?
Do people still tape the doors (I realize this is a big no no)?
Do you never open until the team is there from the case before to set up?
Do you have turnover/float teams to open and set up the next room?
Looking for any help that you can share and any info is appreciated!

According to our AORN's Peri-operative clinical educator, once the room is set up and opened...it must be watched like a hawk. I don't recall our hospital's policy stating this though. Not sure about "Clean" cases vs "Sterile" cases either. Usually the scrub tech is in the room setting up their back table and mayo stand while the circulator visits with the patient and grab meds from pharmacy. Someone is supposed to always be in the room or watching it but so far i've witnessed quite a few rooms with no one watching it.

I've only seen one nurse tape her doors, i didn't know this was a big no no.

I have heard and seen that it is preferred the room is open and set up 30-45 minutes before the case starts. 1 hour if its a really big case.

We do not have a turnover/float team to open and set up the next room. The main circulator and the main scrub for the next room/case usually set it up, but since we are overstaffed help is usually offered.

IsseyM.

ortess1971 · Nov 7, 2006

If there is some delay..someone will "guard" the room although we have taped the doors on occasion. We don't have float people to open rooms, we're too short staffed!! Ideally, we try not to open too soon but stuff happens.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Nov 8, 2006

Once stuff is opened it is watched.

crackerjack · Nov 10, 2006

Our facility's policy is that once the room has been opened, someone is to be in the room observing at all times. That's a good policy or at least it would be if it were enforced. It doesn't happen at all.

CuttingEdgeRN · Nov 10, 2006

We try to get the next case open in a different room to expedite turnovers. We have PCT's and any available staff (which isn't often) to get the next rooms open. They are sometimes un-attended for a bit. We all know not to walk in and out of a room that has been opened. (Of course it does happen)

I have taped my door shut before mainly in hopes no one steals our furniture!

jupo · Nov 18, 2006

Things like this remind me how many standards my OR doesn't follow, and which I've allowed myself to sink below just because everyone else does too.

In our OR, it's an everyday occurance. Open and set up... the circulator goes to check in the patient... the scrub takes a last minute bathroom break... noone in the room for 5 minutes.

Then there's flipping rooms with a spare team. The extra team sets up the room, and they wait around at the charge desk until the surgeon is out of the first case and ready to come back for theirs.

And let's not forget our DBS cases, where we usually finish getting set up about an hour before the patient actually comes back, thanks to delays over in radiology. Our teams in these rooms typically tape the doors, leave the floor, and go eat breakfast in the cafeteria.

Now, we do have staff that are all very aware that they can't go walking in open rooms without masks and such. But worse than that, we do have this nasty problem with flies and mosquitoes...