D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 3
A
time-out is not a time-out unless
all members of the surgical
team are present, proactive and
participate. Require a spoken
response from each team mem-
ber: circulator, surgeon, anesthesia, scrub
tech and any additional ancillary staff present
during the case. The circulator confirms the
• SAFETY PAUSE The entire surgical
team must be present, and actively and
verbally participate in the time-out to ver-
ify the patient's name and the surgical
site before incision.
Your Attention, Please:
Time for a Time-Out
Before you can take a safety pause,
you have to get the surgical team's attention.
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
