Section 250.1300  Operating Room

a)         The surgical area shall be a controlled traffic area.  A control point shall be established to monitor the flow of patients, personnel, and materials.

b)         The surgical area is composed of restricted, semi-restricted, monitored unrestricted, and transition areas.

1)         Restricted area:  Traffic shall be restricted to authorized personnel and patients.  No street clothing shall be worn in the restricted area.  Health care workers shall wear hospital laundered scrub attire.  Head and facial hair shall be contained within protective covering.  Cloth head coverings shall be laundered by the hospital.  Additional garments shall be completely contained or covered within the scrub attire.  Masks shall be worn in restricted areas where open sterile supplies and equipment are present or scrubbed persons are located.  Patients shall wear attire appropriate for their surgical procedure and shall wear hair covering.

2)         Semi-restricted area:  Traffic shall be restricted to authorized personnel and patients.  No street clothing shall be worn in the semi-restricted area.  Health care workers shall wear hospital laundered scrub attire.  Head and facial hair shall be contained within protective covering.  Cloth head coverings shall be laundered by the hospital.  Additional garments shall be completely contained or covered within the scrub attire.  Masks are not required in this area.  Patients shall wear attire appropriate for their surgical procedure and shall wear hair covering.

3)         Transition area:  Traffic shall be permitted to allow movement of personnel from unrestricted to semi-restricted areas or restricted areas.  Personnel may enter in street clothing and shall exit into the semi-restricted or restricted area in surgical attire.

4)         Monitored unrestricted area:  Permitted traffic includes authorized personnel, patients, and their families.  Health care workers in scrub attire may use this area as a transition area for the purpose of patient management and hospital business.

c)         Signage shall clearly define the traffic flow and surgical attire requirements.

d)         Movement of clean and sterile items shall be separated from contaminated or dirty items by space, time, or traffic patterns.  The handling of clean and soiled linen shall meet the requirements set forth in Sections 250.1750 and 250.1760.

e)         All jewelry shall be removed prior to the surgical scrub.  Jewelry shall not be worn in the operating room, except that anesthesia personnel may wear a watch.

f)         Additional personal protective equipment shall be worn when exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material is anticipated.

g)         Whenever scrub attire or personal protective equipment is soiled, it shall be removed promptly and placed in an appropriately designated container.

h)         The sterile gown and gloves used when participating in surgical procedures shall be removed and discarded prior to leaving the operating room.

i)          The gloves used when participating in surgical procedures shall be removed and discarded prior to leaving the operating room.

j)          The use of single-use coverall suits shall be determined by hospital policy.

k)         Shoe covers shall be worn when it can reasonably be anticipated that splashes or spills may occur.  If shoe covers are worn, they shall be changed whenever they become torn, wet, or soiled.  They shall be removed and discarded before leaving the surgical area.

l)          The use of cover gowns for covering the scrub attire when outside of the surgical area shall be determined by hospital policy.  Scrub attire worn into the institution from outside shall be changed before entering the semi-restricted or restricted areas.  Persons exiting the hospital shall don hospital laundered scrub attire on return to the surgical area.

m)        Personnel suffering from communicable diseases shall be excluded from the surgical area.

(Source:  Amended at 34 Ill. Reg. 19031, effective November 17, 2010)