You, the surgeon has been forced to wait because another surgeon has overstayed their case. You are definitely mad about this
Day shift charge, oh we’ll just do a superfast turnover as soon as that case leaves the room.
You, the inconvenienced surgeon are slightly mollified.
Day shift charge, who has circumvented a tantrum, breathes a sigh of relief.
Um, no. There is no such thing. The room is either clean or it is not.
Do not give the rampaging surgeon false hope about super fast turnover.
Why? This is a slippery slope.
- There is no such thing
- The surgeon will expect it every time from now until the end of time
- When the surgeon doesn’t get it every time from now until the end of time, there will be a threatening tantrum
- rinse, tantrum, repeat
- Please don’t set up evening shift this way, there is a reason our turnover times are so fast
Why are the evening shift turnover times so fast and without the benefit of a cleaning person.
Preparation.
Turnover should start way before the end of the case, before the patient leaves the room.
During the first case, thoughts should be had about what instruments/equipment is needed for the next case.
During the first case, the floor should be policed and all the trash picked up off of it.
During the first case, all extra stuff not needed for the second case, and has reached the end of its usefulness should be put back in the cabinets or taken out of the room.
After need for suction is over, the suction canister should be removed and solidifier introduced into the liquid, so that you don’t have to do that after.
All equipment that is no longer needed should be turned off and pushed away from the field.
As the patient is wheeled out, the bed should be stripped and the instruments taken out.
The circulator should give report to the PACU nurse.
The circulator should interview the next patient and return to the room to finish cleaning.
While the circulator is gone the scrub should take their instruments out and commence wiping all of the tables and OR bed.
The circulator should mop the floor while the scrub is taking a prep table and loading it with the next case instruments.
The circulator should make the bed, while the scrub is wheeling in the prep table and spreading the case.
New masks should be donned and the opening commence.
That is how evenings gets a 10 minute turnover.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 