Biography
Biography: Diana Zelman
Abstract
A sharp injury can be a stressful event for any team member in the operating room. A Krembil quality improvement project was conducted in 2018 to identify gaps in knowledge related to management of sharps in the operating room and create a culture of safety among operating room nurses. Data collected using incident reports between 2015-2017 among four UHN sites including Toronto Western Hospital revealed a high number of sharp injuries among members of the OR team – a trend which does not appear to be declining. Utilizing the latest standards from ORNAC and AORN, as well as input from Toronto Western Operating room nurses, a new Sharp Safety Standard of Practice was created. Practices in accordance with safe sharp management guidelines are expected to result in reduced percutaneous sharp injuries and enhanced patient and staff safety in the OR. This presentation aims to share of the knowledge gained and lessons learned developing a standard of practice as well as educate nurses on changes in practice regarding sharp safety in the operating room. The outcomes of implementing a safe sharp management SOP will also be presented and examined.