ees are starting on the same page.
"You can't just show someone how to do something," says Ms.
Spratt, executive director of perioperative services at University of
Rochester St. James Hospital in Hornell, N.Y. "It's so important that
they understand the
why of what they are
being told. It's not just
how to count, but
why it's important to
count. It's not just
how to prep, but why
it's important to prep
the way we do."
From one perspec-
tive, it might feel like
a burden to identify a
patient by his or her
name and birthday at
every point of con-
tact. Such a policy
requires your staff to
check again and again
that you have the
right person for the
right procedure.
But when you real-
ize the stakes, it
becomes clearer, says
Ms. Spratt. "It's not
like we're asking
5 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 • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9
