Jacqueline Fish describes a pilot study which confirmed that a well known but not well loved theatre practice can be replaced by something better

This article describes one theatre department’s experience of abandoning the use of swab racks. A rack of exposed blood-stained swabs, and the need to clean this piece of equipment which has sharp spikes contaminated with blood, are no longer acceptable. The initiative was developed to demonstrate that an alternative to swab racks can maintain safety in the swab and instrument count while reducing the risk of cross infection for patients and staff.