During surgery, what is the correct procedure for maintaining the sterile field?

Maintaining a sterile field during surgery is crucial to prevent infections and ensure patient safety. The correct procedure involves using sterile drapes to cover non-sterile items, which helps maintain the integrity of the sterile environment. By draping non-sterile items, surgical teams can minimize the risk of contamination, ensuring that only sterile instruments and materials are used within the operative area. This practice is a fundamental aspect of aseptic technique.

In contrast, allowing students to observe freely can lead to breaches in the sterile field as unprepared individuals may inadvertently introduce contaminants. Positioning non-sterile team members at the edge of the sterile field, while better than placing them inside, does not adequately protect the sterile zone from potential contamination. Lastly, while having all team members wear sterile gloves is essential, it alone does not ensure the entire field remains sterile without proper draping and separation of sterile and non-sterile items. Therefore, the practice of covering non-sterile items with sterile drapes directly addresses the requirement of maintaining a sterile environment throughout the surgical procedure.