MAKING IT COUNT – ISSUE NO. 455

Not that it always happens, but occasionally I will forget my grocery list at home when I go to the store and have to rely on my memory for what I need. I will remember most of the items, but realize once I get home that there are one or two items that I have forgotten. If I had remembered my list, I would have picked up everything I needed and would not have to make an extra trip. It's one thing to forget about a small item or two at the grocery store, but keeping track of surgical instruments during transportation is imperative. Count Sheets are instrumental to the practice of knowing exactly what instruments are going into an Operating Room. While this is a pretty standard practice, what you do with them seems to vary. Many departments include the count sheet inside the instrument tray. The issue is still up for debate, but many professionals feel that count sheets have no place inside containers or wrapped instrument sets. The concern is that the ink can leak, and could be transferred onto the instruments, posing a threat to patient safety if toxicity levels are high enough. Another possible issue, you can lose the count sheet all together since its not secured. A solution to both of these issues is using a count sheet holder. Securing the count sheet outside of the instrument tray keeps the ink away from the surgical instruments and will also allow you to secure the count sheet without having to worry about losing it. Make sure you are always printing the count sheet and use count sheet holders with all instrument tray sets.