Q
What other
mistakes do
facilities
make in time outs?
During time outs,
usually the circulator
recites information,
everyone agrees,
murmurs or nods,
and the procedure
goes on. There's been
an announcement that the time out was done, but no one was really
engaged in it. I've personally seen 2 instances where just after the time
out was performed, the surgeon asks the nurse if it had been completed
yet. That's a problem of engagement.
Staff should stop what they're doing during time outs. In those 2
instances, the surgeon was too busy prepping the patient to even
notice what was going on. You should also require that communica-
tion be done in active voice. Don't say, "This is Mrs. Jones," say, "What
is the patient's name?" That's true for when you talk to patients, too.
The other thing we find very helpful — although we rarely see it hap-
pen — is for the surgeon to explicitly say during the time out, "If you
see a problem or have a concern, please speak up." Surgeons have a
reputation, not always justified, of intimidating people. By explicitly
saying, "Please watch my back," they're not only empowering staff to
speak up, but also reducing their chances of making a mistake.
9 0
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 | January 2015
zTIME OUTMake sure staff is actively involved during
time outs to lessen your chances of wrong-site surgery.
