Cosmetic surgery has become very popular in recent years as it has become much more commonplace throughout society, far beyond Beverly Hills. Since more and more people undergo plastic surgery, there are more and more plastic surgeons offering to perform procedures.
While this can be nice for those looking for different options, having as many plastic surgeons as there are now sometimes results in some surgeons being under-qualified and/or poorly skilled. With such a wide array of experience, qualifications, skills, and costs among all of the plastic surgeon, individuals looking to get a certain procedure might have a difficult experience when it comes to choosing a surgeon.
For those individuals trying to choose a specific surgeon, along with anyone else interested in undergoing a cosmetic procedure, it’s important to remember that choosing a surgeon isn’t the only thing you should focus on. In addition to the choosing a surgeon, you should also focus on researching the procedure you’re interested in, and you should also divert a bit of your energy into figuring out where the surgeons perform their surgeries.
The safety, cleanliness, and accreditation of the surgical facility is one of the most overlooked things when people are trying to decide where they should undergo their surgery. Despite this, any excellent surgeon will most likely operate in a safe, clean, and accredited facility, as it is extremely important in ensuring a safe, comfortable, and successful procedure.
Ensuring that the surgical facility meets all the safety qualifications is one of the most important parts of deciding to get any cosmetic procedure. So, it is imperative that you know what to look for in an operating facility to determine whether a surgeon’s operating facility meets sufficient safety standards. Of course this can be quite difficult, so here are the major features of any safe operating room:
Safety Guidelines: Operating Rooms for Cosmetic Surgery
Determining whether an operating is clean and safe can be tricky, especially if you don’t know what to look for. The key to making such a determination, and the ultimate goal, is to figure out whether the facility is accredited by a national certifying agency. Of course, this is easier said than done, so here are things to check for –
First, ask to see photos of the entire operating facility. When you have photos, check for the following:
· Venetian blinds on the windows
· A sink in the operating room itself
· Any baseboards where the wall meets the floor
· Carpeting on the floor in the operating room
If you see any one of those things, it’s safe to say that the facility IS NOT an accredited one. These things are not allowed in operating rooms as they all contribute to creating a dirty, unsafe environment.
Blood and pus are very difficult to disinfect when stuck in carpet, especially multiple times between every procedure. Drains are typically very dirty and increase the possibilities of patients getting infections around their open wounds. Baseboards are an easy home for fluid spray and bacteria that rest on the seams between the baseboard and wall, and cleaning venetian blinds is extremely difficult and they almost never get cleaned. Operating room sterilization can be very difficult to attain with any of those features being present, so be certain to avoid such features.
Additional features that are guaranteed in a safe, clean, and accredited facility include:
· A list of the patient’s rights and responsibilities that is clear in sight and prominently displayed.
· Peer review which surgeons serve as monitors for each other ensuring that they make sure all of the proper safe measures are being taken into account on a daily basis.
· Data tracking when it comes to infections, complications, sterilization checks, as well as other data – all of such data should be monitored and reviewed.
· Drug tracking, procedures with expiration checks, and emergency medication supplies should be kept up to date and well-stocked.
· Medical records are checked and reviewed regularly to ensure that they are complete and always up-to-date.
· A quality management system to ensure that there are standards of conduct which are consistently reviewed and kept up with.
· Patient care and treatment are consistently reviewed.
· Set standards that require any significant level of anesthesia will be performed by anesthesia professionals and all the other staffing positions are filled by properly-qualified individuals who are certified or licensed in the appropriate field.
· All of their safety standards and protocols, which should include the above, are checked and confirmed with every three-year review.
Now, of course it can be difficult to ensure all of the listed items and standards are present in the operating facility you choose, but you can figure such things out. You can do so in two ways, and you should always do both. First, ask about all of these things during your consultation, and always ask to see pictures. Then, in addition to asking the surgeon in a consultation, you can check the accreditation of the facility online in the nationally-recognized agencies. Among the most commonly recognized agencies (all in which you should check for accreditation) include:
1. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organization
2. Institute for Medical Quality
3. The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc.
4. Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc.
5. In addition to those 4 agencies, check to see if the facility is Medicare-certified as well as state-licensed.
At the end of the day, it is mostly important to recognize how crucial it is to find a surgeon who performs their procedures at an accredited facility that guarantees your safety. After all, plastic surgery is still surgery. Requiring standards for safety and cleanliness is plastic surgery 101, so don’t compromise your own safety and cleanliness due to unawareness. Learning about your procedure and choosing a surgeon should always include research about the facility itself.