to be addressed.
3. Demand active participation
The checklist should improve communication in the OR by prompting
everyone in the room to speak up for patient safety. It should also
ensure every member of the surgical team actively participants in the
pre-op time out. That's accomplished by assigning each person in the
room — the surgeon, anesthesia provider, nurses and scrub techs —
the responsibility of discussing specific elements on the checklist.
The assigned roles can be based on what works best for your team.
For example, after a nurse starts the timeout — we empower nurses
to call for time outs, with checklist in hand, to ensure consistency in
the process — and identifies the patient with 2 identifiers, the surgeon
can discuss how the procedure is expected to unfold and discuss
potential safety concerns. The anesthesia provider can then confirm
that antibiotics have been administered and alert the team if surgical
fire risks are present. Surgical techs can confirm needed equipment is
in the room and working properly. The entire team can then discuss
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