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patient asked to locate the site isn't necessarily making an indication if they scratch an itch or cross one ankle on top of the other. And consider, says Dr. Clarke, the double meaning in the following exchange:
Surgeon: We're doing the left side today?
Patient: Right.
Dr. Rodriguez recommends putting the marking pen directly into the patient's hand, as the first step in a 4-part verification process. "As long as the patient is a coherent adult, we ask them to mark the site," he says. When the anesthesia provider arrives for the physical assessment, they check the site, initialing it and planning the block. Then the surgeon verifies all the cumulative information and marks the site a third time, with his initials.
"And we're not done yet," he says. In the OR, the circulator verifies everything, and anesthesia can't administer drugs until she's satisfied.
