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O U T P A T 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 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Time for a New Surgical Checklist
It starts earlier, ends later, saves time and prevents complications.
T
he patient has
been wheeled
into the OR
and put under. The
surgeon and OR staff
are scrubbed and
ready to go. The
tools are glistening
on the table. All
that's left before the
first incision is the
surgical time out.
Is this the right
patient? Is this the
right body part?
Does the patient have
any anesthesia issues? (Let's hope not, because we've
already administered it.) Do we have the implants? (We'd better,
because the patient's already asleep.)
Let's face it. The World Health Organization surgical checklist most of
us use, while better than nothing, can be way too little, way too late. In
fact, it's mostly just window dressing, designed to cover governmental
and accreditation pressures. It may be appropriate and very useful in
Third World settings, which is what it was designed for, and where
resources are often very limited, but in the First World, it's bare-bones.
The fact that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the
United States should be all the proof anyone needs that we need to do
better. Much better. And we can.
S A F E T Y
Lorne King Rosenfield, MD
z
ADVANCED
THINKING
Staff
begin
taking
care
of
checklist
items
long
before
the
day
of
surgery.