One-hundred sixty-six ASORN members from 38 states and one country outside the USA responded to the July survey question.
Does your facility require needle/sharps/small item counts for ophthalmic procedures?
Yes 48.5%
No 51%Most (72%) were never concerned that a needle or small item might have been retained, although 67% do have a protocol for a lost needle/small item.
The protocols either exclude small needles because they are not detectable on x-ray (28%) or ophthalmic procedures are excluded (72%)
Do surgeons support the protocol for a lost needle/small item at your facility:
Yes (58%)
No (5%)
Not applicable (37%)
The types of facilities represented in the survey are:
Mostly or exclusively ophthalmic with or without refractive (61%)
Laser center
(1%)
Ambulatory only, some ophthalmic (9%)
All types of surgery (29%)