Authors (including presenting author) :
Yuen SL(1), Ng YM, Winnie(1), Chan PT(1),Dr. Lau CH(1), Cho ML(1)
Affiliation :
Department of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Introduction :
The number of retained gloves or tourniquets on patient’s limb after phlebotomy causing tissue ischemia increased and became serious. These issues were also shared and published in the ‘Patient Safety’² and ‘Risk Alert’³ in Hospital Authority. The problem was that Interns used ‘glove’ instead of tourniquet and retained (Appendix 1).
Objectives :
Ensure all Interns to perform safety in phlebotomy by using designated tourniquet in Department of Surgery, QEH
Methodology :
Base on the Guideline on the Designed Tourniquet of Department of Surgery (Version in June 2016), Department Interns Coordinator promulgated the program to all Interns in their orientation program. Each Intern got a designated tourniquet with his/her name marked on the tourniquet with attached plastic wire on the first arrival date to the Surgical Unit.
The survey would be performed quarterly per year. Duration was two weeks.
Convenient samples were observed against critical points in the observational survey form.
Result & Outcome :
There were total 197 numbers of Interns with 1066 samples under observed from June, 2016 to October, 2020. They were total 1066 numbers of blood taking and intravenous setting. Nil case used for hemostasis use.
In November,2016, it found 95% compliance rate in using designated tourniquet which one intern used ‘glove’ as tourniquet twice. In April, 2017, one intern used his own tourniquet without attached plastic wire. Overall compliance rate in release tourniquet after procedure was 100%.
Outcome
Safety culture was developed by proper altitude and risk awareness (Pidgeon, 1991) which was promoted in Hospital Authority. From this observational survey, Interns were alerted in using tourniquet and released afterwards in phlebotomy.
