The following praiseed practices w...

The following praiseed practices were developed by the AORN commended Practices Committee and have been approved by way of the AORN Board of Directors. They were neared as proposed recommended practices for annotation by members and others. They are effective Jan 1 2000

These commended practices are intended as achievable recommendations representing what is believed to be an optimal horizontal of practice. Policies and transactions will reflect variations in practice settings and/or clinical situations that determine the order to which the recommended practices can be implemented.

AORN recognizes the numerous settings in which perioperative foments practice. These recommended practices are intended as guidelines adaptable to various practice settings. These practice settings include traditional ORs, ambulatory surgery units, physicians' offices, cardiac catheterization suites, endoscopy suites, radiology departments, difficulty departments, and all other areas where operative and other invasive steps may be performed.

Purpose: These commited practices provide guidelines for establishing traffic patterns in perioperative practice areas. advantageous traffic control practices protect personnel patients, supplies, and equipment from potential sources of cross-contamination. Traffic patterns propose movement into and out of the surgical suite as well as change within the suite. The design of the surgical suite many times predetermines traffic patterns. Total implementation of these attract favor toed practices may not be feasible within each facility because of the physical design of the setting.

approveed PRACTICE I

Traffic patterns should be designed to facilitate motion of patients and personnel into, by means of and out of defined areas within the surgical suite. Signs should clearly indicate the appropriate environmental manages and surgical attire required. Interpretive statement 1:

The surgical suite should be divided into three designated areas that are defined by the agency of the physical activities performed in each area.

The unrestricted area includes a central curb point that is established to monitor the entrance of patients, personnel and materials. way clothes are permitted in this area, and traffic is not limited.

The semirestricted area includes the peripheral support areas of the surgical suite and has storage areas for clean and sterile supplies, work areas for storage and processing of instruments, and corridors leading to the restricted areas of the surgical suite. Traffic in this area is limited to authorized personnel and patients. human frames in this area should wear surgical attire to include long-sleev jackets that are buttoned or snapped clos during use. All head and facial hair should be protected by a surgical cap and/or hood

The restricted area includes operating and transaction rooms, the clean core, and rub hard sink areas. Persons in this area are required to wear glutted surgical attire and cover all head and facial hair, including sideburns and necklines. Nonscrubbed personnel should wear long-sleev jackets that are buttoned or snapped clos during use. Masks are required where exhibit sterile supplies or scrubbed bodily forms are located.

Rationale:

Increasing environmental rules and surgical attire as progression is made from unrestricted to restricted areas decreases the potential for crosscontamination.(1)

Discussion:

[i]role[/i]s from other departments entering the semirestricted or restricted areas of the surgical suite for a brief time for a specific sense may don a coverall suit designed to totally screen outside apparel.

Interpretive statement 2:

motion of personnel from unrestricted areas to either semirestricted or restricted areas should be between the walls of a transition zone.

Rationale:

A transition surface bounded by parallel circles exists where one can take down the area in street clothing and exit into the semirestricted or restricted belt in surgical attire. Locker places serve as a transition region between the outside and inside of a surgical suite and may assist as a security point to monitor tribe admitted to the suite.(2)

Interpretive statement 3:

Patients entering the surgical suite should wear clean gown be guarded with clean linens, and have their hair covered

Rationale:

Clean gown linens, and hair coverings are worn by means of patients to minimize particulate shedding during surgical procedures(3) Patients are not required to wear masks while in the surgical suite unles they are in subordination to respiratory precautions (eg, a patient with active pulmonary tuberculosis or other airborne respiratory disease)(4) While in the restricted area, the mask could hinder access to the face and airway and might increase the patient's anxiety. Keeping the sterile field away from the head of the surgical bed until the patient is draped will minimize the possibility of contamination.(5)

praiseed PRACTICE II

mental action of personnel should be kept to a minimum while invasive and noninvasive performances are in progress.

Interpretive statement 1: