staff take shortcuts that could endanger patients. But the reasons for
taking those shortcuts probably won't surprise. The biggest culprits
appear to be time pressures and cavalier attitudes.
"A combination of short staffing and a staff that's under pressure to
speed up the daily schedule creates risks to both patients and staff,"
says a Massachusetts surgical technician. "I can't always be present in
the OR during time outs because I'm doing 2 jobs at the same time. I
often don't get there until the procedure is underway."
"The administration is more interested in getting more done than
getting it done safely," says a Charleston, S.C., nurse. "We're always
rushed," adds a CRNA. "It's like herding cattle back home."
If it isn't time pressure, it may be overconfidence. "Unless surgeons
have experienced a sentinel event, they don't think it will ever happen
to them," says a clinical supervisor from Seattle, Wash.
Patient safety is uppermost on the minds of most, however, and
more than 70% of respondents say they're always on the lookout for
ways to improve it. Many say they encourage and have implemented
staff suggestions.
"I'm always amazed when someone suggests something that makes
sense and improves us," says Jeffrey Blank, DPM, of the Dundee Foot
Center in Wheeling, Ill. "The safety checklist on my office-based oper-
ating room wall was actually developed by a new employee who
brought it with her from her previous job. I thought my checklist was
really good, but hers was better."
At the Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center, a staff member sug-
gested a better way to prevent surgical fires. "Whenever we do head
and neck procedures under a local/MAC, we keep the entire face open
so there's no tenting of drapes and no accumulation of oxygen," says
Ms. Williams.
Mid-afternoon huddles to plan ahead for the next day, fire-safety
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