How do sterile persons pass one another?

In a sterile environment, such as an operating room, maintaining sterility is crucial to preventing infections. When sterile persons pass one another, the protocol is to do so in a manner that minimizes the risk of contamination. The correct practice is for sterile team members to pass either face-to-face or back-to-back. This is designed to ensure that the sterile fields, instruments, and drapes remain uncontaminated by non-sterile persons or surfaces.

Passing face-to-face allows each person to maintain their sterile field while minimizing the chance of touching each other, which could introduce non-sterile elements. Back-to-back passing also maintains the same level of safety, as it allows both sterile individuals to avoid a direct approach that can compromise their sterile status. Other options, such as side-by-side and any direction, are not appropriate since they can increase the risk of accidentally brushing against non-sterile areas or individuals, leading to potential contamination. Thus, adhering to the face-to-face or back-to-back method is essential for infection control in surgical settings.