Are Lanyards a Source of Contamination in the Operating Room?

Nurses routinely identify clinical problems and question the best care for their patients (ONS, 2005). This paper will include a plan for an evidence-based practice change for the problem of potential transmission of pathogens to surgical patients via lanyards. The posing clinical question is, “In surgical patients does the use of lanyards worn by operating room staff increase the future risk of surgical site infections compared with staff not wearing lanyards?” The proposed problem is one that nursing could resolve. The objective of this project is to determine if lanyards worn by health care workers could increase the risk of surgical site infections. Operating room nurses have a responsibility to adhere to practices that prevent surgical site infections in their patients. A comprehensive literature search revealed 32 publications. After inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to each publication, six studies were relevant to contamination of inanimate objects, the transmission of pathogens, and the potential for nosocomial infections. The studies include one systemic review, two cross-sectional study, and three unspecified observational studies.