QUESTION: How many basins are typically wasted during an extremity surgery?
ANSWER: Too many!
Most surgeons utilize a predetermined supply pack for their extremity procedures. To accommodate a multitude of procedures, the extremity pack is usually laden with many basins and bowls of various shapes and sizes.
For all surgery distal to the shoulder or distal to the thigh, substituting the more versatile Limb Basin replaces the need for most of the bowls and basins typically provided. Consider the legacy of waste with approximately 2.5 million extremity procedures performed annually in the United States. Consider the cost savings.
BENEFITS:
1) Pre-contoured wall design better accommodates and protects limbs for multiple procedures.
2) Hands-free active suction, limiting spillage and allowing hands to be used for more critical tasks.
Team Lead at RepMatch
7 年great article good points. let me know when you write another
Couldn't agree more Zvi... I've had a similar experience, and the savings are usually quite significant. Environmental plastic waste can also be drastically reduced.
Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer at Canadian Ambulatory Surgery Centres Inc
7 年There are tremendous cost savings to be had if we simply step back for a moment and take a hard, critical look at what instruments, devices and sutures are included in the pick-list for every operation we do and whether there is any justification for our special preferences. When we did this a few years ago we saw many instances where instruments and materials were not needed and seldom used, and were largely legacies of long since retired surgeons or older procedures and technology. Yet these were still being picked and opened for each operation. Standardizing materials for prep, draping and sutures in a center that caters to multiple surgeons can gain significant savings and efficiency. Surgeons' preferences for particular products should be questioned and subjected to evidence-based practice. Expenditures were cut by simple measures such as including fewer sterile towels in the tray, using paper products where practical, and not opening all the sutures in advance, but only as needed. Seldom used instruments were taken out of the standard tray and placed in individual sterile packs to be opened only as needed. Over a year these measures add up to significant cost savings and the bottom line.
I agree completely James, the amount of medical waste we create is mind boggling and we ALL contribute to it in a small way. I am trying to narrow the gap between excessive waste and underutilized staff, while maintaining safety and efficiency in the OR.
Healthcare Administration, Surgical First Assisting (NPI) Healthcare Management, Purchasing & Materials Management, and Financial Analyst.
7 年Generic specialty surgical procedure packs can be huge waste of money and compound the biohazard waste disposal costs. Cost of product waste must be compared directly to the physical cost of an employee picking every little product. Especially true when you have higher qualified staff such as a Registered Nurse picking small low cost supplies.