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O U T P AT 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 | J U LY 2 0 1 5
I D E A S T H A T W O R K
S I T E M A R K I N G
Stop, You Forgot to Mark the Site
T
o make sure surgical sites are always marked before patients
enter the OR, we keep a plastic sleeve with 2 can't-miss mes-
sages on the patient's chart at the bedside, along with an
indelible marker. When the surgeon arrives to sign the consent form,
and review the history and physical exam, the "stop" sign is facing up
and the marker is easily accessible. Once the site is marked, we flip
the sleeve over to the green "thumbs up" side, and the OR nurse
knows it's OK to proceed to the OR. Since we started using this sys-
tem, we've never missed a site to be marked.
Julianne Nesselroade, RN, BSN
Gladiolus Surgery Center
Fort Myers, Fla.
dwj2ness@hotmail.com
z ON YOUR MARK Patients never get taken to the OR unless we've marked the site.
Julianne
Nesselroade,
RN,
BSN
