skin hooks/ total count question

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

can someone please explain to me, if you have a separate small tray of skin hooks, 12 in total,( but they are all called different names on our count sheet.. but, nonetheless they are all skin hooks.....) and neither the scrub nor the circulator can name the individual ones, why cant you just do a total count for that tray?

[JamieJCST]

I think you should be able to count the tray as a whole. When we count a vascular tray, we count some instruments as individuals but we count the vascular clamps as a whole.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

You should be able to count it as a whole. You are talking about the skin hooks that we use for the lonestar retractor, right? The little yellow and blue ones? We count vessel loops as a whole, but there are two different sizes, right? I don't see how skin hooks should differ. Just my opinion...

[ebear, BSN, RN]

I don't see the problem in counting total skin hooks! Is someone causing a stink?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Heck, we don't separate retractors at all (except open heart and the bookwalter). All counted together with a total somewhere around 30.

[4_Sq]

As far as I am aware, the scrub nurse can count the items as a whole as long as her and the circulator are on the same page. If there is a changeover in staff, the counted items must be pointed out to the incoming staff.. eg we counted this tray as skin hooks x 12. The error would be in the lack of communication in the way you count an item, and I think that the scrub nurse can decide as long as the circulator follows and records that way.