F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 7
I
t's been
proven that
staff mem-
bers who speak
up during pre-
op time outs
are more likely
to speak out if
patient safety is
jeopardized
during the case.
That's why sur-
gical team members are often asked to introduce themselves to
their colleagues in the room. Breaking the ice makes sense in
large hospitals, but can feel a bit silly and pointless at smaller
facilities where nurses, techs, surgeons and anesthesia providers
have worked shoulder to shoulder for years. If your surgical team
spends more time with each other than their own families, have
them mention 3 positive things that happened to them that day
instead or constantly reintroducing themselves to familiar faces
during time outs. Recognizing life's positives still gets the group
talking, and is an opportunity to build morale and improve the
team's overall happiness.
Dwight Burney, MD
American Association
of Orthopaedic Surgeons
dwightburney119@gmail.com
• GROUP SHARE Close-knit surgical teams should recognize the good in their lives
instead of constantly reintroducing themselves to each other.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
A Positive Spin on Pre-op Time Outs
