What it means
The work area for a sterile procedure, such as surgery, catheter insertion or a sterile dressing change. Only sterile items may touch it. Common rules: only the top surface is sterile, the outer 1-inch (2.5 cm) border is not sterile, anything below waist level or out of sight is not sterile, a wet field is contaminated, and people do not reach over it or turn their backs to it.
For the nurse
If the field may have been contaminated, consider it contaminated and set up a new one. Open sterile packages away from your body and drop items onto the field without touching it.
At a glance
| Also written | sterile fields |
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Related terms
contamination
The presence of germs or harmful substances on something that should be clean or sterile.
surgical asepsis
Practices that keep an area or object completely free of microorganisms; also called sterile technique.
sterile dressing change
Replacing a dressing on a wound or line site using sterile technique and sterile supplies.
sterility
The state of being completely free of living germs, including spores; also, being unable to have children.