J U L Y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 7
L
ike counting a deck of cards and
getting 53 when there are really 52,
most incidents of retained objects
occur as a result of a miscount — a count documented
as correct when, in fact, it was off. There's no shortage
of explanations and excuses for miscounts: distraction, excess noise,
time pressures, or trying to remember and count at the same time.
SURGICAL
ERRORS
You Can't Count On Counts Alone
• SAFETY IN CERTAINTY Retained surgical items occur regardless of whether the manual counts
were correct, affirming the need for a verification process with adjunctive detection technology.
Dan O'Connor
Editor-in-Chief
Preventing retained objects not as easy as 1-2-3.
