9 Involve patients
One easy way to get into wrong-site trouble is to neglect patients' participation in their care. "We've seen people go in and mark the site without talking to the patient," says Dr. Clarke. "That eliminates the benefit of verification."
Communication is key. "Site marking is a representation of the patient's voice, particularly during the time out, when the patient is asleep," he says. "You make the mark with the patient, and it is in theory repeating, 'This is where you should operate,' even though the patient can't physically respond."
Just be sure the communications you have with patients are clear, and clearly understood by both the site is going to be, but not all of the time," says Dr. Clarke.
A physician might operate on the wrong knee if a patient mistakenly points to the limb that's hurting her more on the day of surgery. Someone who isn't clinically
trained in anatomy might point inexactly to a site. Meaning can be misconstrued: A
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TOTAL SHOULDER At the Surgery Center of Aventura, a patient marks his site (the Y for "Yes"); the anesthesia provider verifies the site and plans the block (the initials SW and the arrow pointing to the block site); and the surgeon's initials (RR) re-verify the site before the patient arrives in the OR.
