HSC Anesthesiologists,

Please review the following OR dress code guidance.

* Personal arm coverings should be covered by a hospital-laundered, long-sleeved jacket.

* The jacket should be close fitting, fully cover the arms, be changed daily, and be laundered by the hospital after each use.

* When performing preoperative or preprocedural skin preparation, the sleeves should be tight fitting. A sterile sleeve may also be worn to reduce the risk of contaminating the prepared area.

* Religious head coverings may be worn in the perioperative environment but should be completely covered by an appropriate disposable surgical hat.

* All hair and loose portions of the head covering should be fully contained.

For procedures requiring a sterile scrub, including central line insertion, surgical epidural placement, labour epidurals, and scrubbing for surgical procedures:

* The hands and arms must be exposed to approximately two inches above the elbows for the duration of the scrub.

* Arm coverings will therefore need to be removed or rolled securely above the elbows before scrubbing.

* The usual infection prevention and control scrub procedure should then be completed.

* Once the scrub is complete, a sterile gown can be donned to cover the arms.

A presentation from OR educator, Candace Ashton about Routine OR Practices along with the WRHA OR Dress Code Policy is attached for reference.