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IDEAS THAT WORK
WRONG-SITE SURGERY
The Semantics of Right Correct-Side Surgery
O
ne little word can make a big difference. Take wrong-site surgery, for
example. Many of us refer to "the right side" or "the left side" when
asking patients to confirm the correct side and site for surgery. But is
there anything more confusing than asking a scared patient, "We are
doing the left side, right?" Rather than use the terms right and
left, it's better instead to use "correct side" and "correct site."
Gayle Noland, RN, BSN, CNOR
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center
Pomona, Calif.
gayle.noland@pvhmc.org
LEFT, RIGHT? "Left-side surgery" can be
confusing to a patient, right?
PATIENT FLOW
Assign Your Docs Bed Spots
A
t our busy 2-room endo center, we put patients in bed spots, pre-procedure and post-procedure, by physician. This way, when anesthesia
comes out for the next patient for their room, they know exactly
which 2 bed spots to choose from. Likewise, when the
docs come out post-procedure, their patients are
always in 1 of 2 PACU or Phase 2 spots. In pre-op, we
place laminated signs that say "Dr. X Next Patient" on
the over-bed table. This way, no one ever takes in or
talks to the wrong patient.
Margaret Kowalczuk Sherman, RN, BSN
Hamilton (N.J.) Endoscopy & Surgery Center
D E C E M B E R 2012 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
RESERVED PARKING Reserve bed
spots for each of your physicians so it's
always clear which patients are theirs.
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