Education is the first step to shift attitudes and actions toward consistent smoke evacuation in all procedural areas. A clear policy on smoke evacuation practices serves to standardize these actions, preventing all members of the surgical team and the patient from exposure to toxic, pathogenic, and carcinogenic surgical smoke.
But what do nurses do when the policy isn't followed, and surgical smoke is allowed to contaminate their ORs?
Report it. That's the advice of Deb Carter, RN, in Oregon. After pushback from certain surgeons who refused to evacuate surgical smoke in the ORs she worked in, despite a policy recommending smoke evacuation and extensive education on the reasons why, Carter reported it to her state Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) through an anonymous online form. Twenty-four hours later she received a response from OSHA, and her facility was required to respond to her complaint.
She encourages more nurses to do the same. "Nurses are not being squeaky wheels. When large numbers of us speak out, our facilities will have to take action to protect us."
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