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Running head: EQUIPMENT AND PRODUCT SAFETY

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EQUIPMENT AND PRODUCT SAFETY

Equipment and Product Safety

Equipment and Product Safety in Perioperative Nursing

People who work in the departments of product and equipment evaluation and purchasing process plays a crucial role in the healthcare facility as well as ensuring the safety of patients is protected. Healthcare facility equipment and products are sourced from different suppliers. Thus, it is a sensitive sector that requires a well-structured procuring and evaluation process to reduce the expenses of reimbursements and risks patients are exposed to when faulty tools are used. Johanna Newman argues that perioperative nurses should be trained and understands the process involved when evaluating the safeness of a product, efficiency, effectiveness, cost, and environmental concern since they act as patent’s advocate (2015). Therefore, my perioperative PICO(T) question will be based on surgical site infections. This is a sensitive unit that requires a physician to use sterilized products and equipment to maintain proper handling and patient safety in the operating room. My PICO(T) question would look as follows:

P– Perioperative patients in the cardiovascular operating room

I– Perioperative temperature management using a warming blanket

C– Patients receive no treatment to prevent hypothermia

O– Patients with warming blankets will have a decrease in surgical site infections

T– The study will take place for one year

A recent report released by Johanna Newman (2015) shows that more than 500,000 surgical site infections are recorded every year in a general hospital in the U.S., U.S hospital spends an average of $10 billion on managing hospital-acquired diseases. 14-16% out of the reported cases of hospital-acquired infections is as a result of surgical site infections. Despite surgical site infections affecting patient safety and overall health, it also leads to instances of high mortality rate, ballooning medical bills, a more extended stay in the facility, as well as frequent readmissions. The surgical mortality rate of about 3% is seen in patients who acquire surgical site infections from the surgical room. Therefore, it can be understood that surgical site infections is a real problem in our healthcare facilities.

References

Johanna Newman CRNA, D. N. A. P. (2015). Surgical Site Infection and Prevention Guidelines: A Primer for Certifi ed Registered Nurse Anesthetists. AANA journal83(1), 63. Retrieved from: https://www.aana.com/docs/default-source/aana-journal-web-documents-1/jcourse6-0215-pp63-68.pdf?sfvrsn=1ad448b1_6