Face Shields for Surgeons,
Surgical Nurses, Scrub Nurses,
and Anaesthetists

4 Reasons to Use in the OR

The need for face shields in the operating room is driven by a number of factors.

First, the risk of exposure to blood borne pathogens, body fluids, and other infectious material is extremely high. In fact, the hospital operating room has the highest occurrence of exposure to blood borne pathogens. As a result, the use of face shields by Surgeons, Surgical Nurses, Scrub Nurses, and Anesthetists during surgery, has become quite common for OR personnel, who must be especially cautious.

Second, while Surgical Face Masks, Eye Glasses, and Safety Goggles, offer some degree of protection, any barrier like a face shield that will help reduce the surgical teams number of contaminated contacts is welcome. By wearing a full face shield, the surgeon, or surgical nurse places a solid barrier, impervious to fluid penetration, between themselves, and any blood borne pathogens, body fluids, or other infectious materials, that could be harmful, should they come in contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth. When worn in combination with other personal protection equipment (PPE), such as surgical face masks, eyeglasses with side shields, or safety goggles, the full-face shield maximizes protection of the eyes and face from potential contamination from liquid splash, spatter, or spray.

Third, under OSHA's Universal Precautions Guidelines, use of protective barriers like face shields, are mandated, whenever splashes, spray, spatter, or droplets of blood or other potentially infectious material may be generated and eye, nose, or mouth contamination can be reasonably anticipated.@. These protective barriers help surgeons, surgical nurses, scrub nurses, and anesthetists, reduce the risk of exposing their skin or mucous membranes to potential infectious diseases that can be transmitted though blood splashes, body fluids, and other debris.

Fourth, OSHA Compliance. Hospitals and healthcare providers who fail to follow OSHA's Universal Precautions Guidelines, and do not provide face shields or other personal protective equipment (PPE), may be subject to various penalties including fines, for failure to comply.