A P R I L 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 3
Right Procedure Is Always in the Cards
H
ere's an addition-
al way to help
make sure that
"never events" never hap-
pen. The day before sur-
gery, we write down all
the pertinent information
for each patient on cards,
including the patient's
name, the patient's eye or
location of surgery, the
name of the procedure
and, if applicable, the pre-
operative diagnosis and
specimen for pathology.
Then we place the card
on the patient's chest
before the case and refer
to it during our time out.
There's no added expense, because we use the cards that are included
with the smart pack we run before that surgical day. They're the per-
fect size and shape, and we can simply recycle them instead of throw-
ing them away.
Kathy Lutz, RN
Hazleton (Pa.) Ambulatory Surgical Center
kathyl@eyedocs1.com
• SMART CARD Our extra step helps make sure mistakes never happen.
Sally
Mitchell,
RN
