Ideas That Work: A ‘Badge Buddy’ Makes OR Turnover Safer and More Efficient

Practical pearls from your colleagues.

When you give staff the power and the freedom to not only bring fresh ideas to the table, but also to weave those ideas into the day-to-day workflow, great things can happen.

This proactive team-centered philosophy is something Heather Meicenheimer, RN, perioperative clinical educator for Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Wash., swears by. And it’s something that has provided plenty of significant process and protocol improvements. Prime example: A “Badge Buddy” that Kadlec’s operating room assistants created to highlight common microorganisms and isolation protocols they need to be aware of throughout the turnover process.

Here’s the gist of it: In the Special Needs column of its surgery schedule, Kadlec lists implants, equipment and certain health conditions to tailor care for an individual patient.

As you can see in the photo, the color-coded Badge Buddies (yellow, green and blue) make it easy for staff to see what microorganisms and necessary PPE, infection control protocols and turnover times (e.g., “Room needs to sit for 25 minutes”) are needed to comply with the isolation protocols.

“This visual cue helps increase patient and team safety because succinct isolation protocols are readily available and increase team efficiency as they prepare for room turnover in the workroom,” says Ms. Meicenheimer, who submitted this idea to Outpatient Surgery Magazine to help other perioperative teams with a potential aid in the never-ending quest to create the safest possible environment for patients.

If you’re thinking of creating your own Badge Buddy, Ms. Meicenheimer has some universal advice that should work regardless of what type of facility you have.

“Keep it clear and to the point. Too much information isn’t always better,” she says. “You want it to be easy to use for all staff — even those without extensive background knowledge.”

Want to hear more about Kadlec’s Badge Buddy process?

Reach out to Ms. Meicenheimer at [email protected]. OSM