Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 18 TSC 431 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Hair Removal
The idea
International guidance recommends that hair at the surgical site not be removed at all, or, if it truly must be, that it be removed only with clippers.
In practice
Learn the guidance in order. First, the default is to leave hair in place. Second, if hair would interfere with the procedure, it is removed with a clipper, not a razor. Third, shaving with a razor is strongly discouraged at all times, whether before the day of surgery or in the operating room, because it raises the risk of surgical site infection. Fourth, the guidance applies to patients of all ages. Fifth, facility policy sets who removes hair, where and when.
Where people slip
A razor's tiny cuts in the skin give bacteria a way in. If someone reaches for a razor to prepare a surgical site, it is worth raising the guidance before it touches the skin.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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