Month: September 2014

Research was undertaken to assess compliance to the implementation of the WHO’s (World Health Organisation) Hand Hygiene Programme.
The research was undertaken in 43 hospitals situated in Africa, Costa Rica, Italy, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

The study found that nurses were far more compliant with hand hygiene (71%) then doctors who were only 60% compliant.
The implementation of the hand hygiene programme improved overall hand hygiene compliance from 51% to 67%.

ALLEGRANZI, B., GAYET-AGERON, A., DAMANI, N., BENGALY, L., MCLAWS, M.-L., MORO, M.-L., MEMISH, Z., URROZ, O., RICHET, H. & STORR, J. 2013. Global implementation of WHO’s multimodal strategy for improvement of hand hygiene: a quasi-experimental study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 13, 843-851.

Never drop a blade from the protective packaging into a metal bowl as this can reduce the keenness of the cutting edge. Remember to handle sharps carefully.

How to attach a Surgical Blade

1. Grip blade with forceps, or similar, avoiding contact with cutting edge.
2. Hold handle in left hand with bayonet fitting uppermost.
3. Place blade partway over handle fitting and engage slots.
4. Slide blade until it clicks into position.
5. To improve assembly, flex blade slightly upwards when sliding onto the handle.

How to remove a Surgical Blade:

1. Grip blade with forceps, or similar.
2. Lift heel of blade at point ‘A’ with tip of finger, avoiding contact with cutting edge and carefully slide the blade away from the handle.