It’s been drilled into your head—surgical site markings decrease the chance of errors. But, how do you find a pen that is safe for your patients and outlasts skin prep solutions?
Don’t reach for a regular permanent marker or pen. Use one made specifically for skin marking that has been cleared by the FDA.
Those made for skin marking have been shown to be more sterile than regular markers or pens, according to a study analyzed by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority.
These pens are sterilized by their manufacturers and shipped in sterile packages. Many also contain gentian violet ink, which has antibacterial properties.
Then, throw it away. Using a pen on more than one patient could increase the risk of cross-contamination.
A study of surgical markers and regular permanent markers found that MRSA survived less than 15 minutes on permanent markers and three weeks on surgical markers.
For the most durability, the type of pen may not be as important as the skin prep solution.
Two recent studies found that marks held up better when swabbed with a solution containing iodine than with one containing chlorexidine, according to the Patient Safety Authority.