• Bang the gong. A 14-
inch-wide Tibetan
gong hangs in each of
the 24 operating
rooms, endoscopy
suites and cath labs at
St. John Macomb-
Oakland Hospital in
Warren, Mich. When
the recorder strikes
the wall-mounted
gong, it commands the OR team's attention and sets the intention for
a proper time out before every procedure. The gong is available in
office-supplies catalog for about $75.
• Blow the kazoo. On a whim, Barbara Harvey, RN, of
the Fredericksburg (Va.) ASC, bought a kazoo to
announce time-outs. It
worked, she says, and
thoroughly entertained
the nurses, techs and
(some of the) surgeons.
She no longer uses the
kazoo before every case,
but it sits in her locker, just in
case.
Team compliance
Surgery is a team sport. It does little good if your nurses conduct
time-outs off in a corner by themselves without surgeons, anesthesia
7 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8
Barbara
Harvey,
RN
