side surgeries
(osmag.net/UzQW5c).
The costs of even one
of these events can be
staggering, both in
terms of patient care
and to a facility's repu-
tation. So, the natural
question remains: How
do we get closer to zero?
Practice makes perfect
Ask Joy A. Lanfranchi, BSN, RN, CNOR, CMLSO, a staff nurse at St.
Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif., and she'll say simulating
wrong-patient, wrong-side or wrong-procedure events may be one of
the most effective ways to prevent actual patient harm. Why? Because
well-structured simulation training — preferably with the participa-
tion of surgeons and anesthesia providers — can improve communi-
cation, teamwork and assertiveness in the OR, which, in turn, reduces
the risk of making a mistake once the training wheels come off.
Her best advice: Have staff run through simulation training for a
procedure just as they would normally, in the most realistic scenario
possible (see "How to Run a Successful Simulation" at right), only
rife with situations your staff should consider red flags that would
require interventions — an inconsistency with a consent form, a mis-
take during site or side marking, and a missing sponge during the
post-surgical count, for example.
"When you're in a simulation, your heart rate goes up and it feels
real — and people remember that feeling," says Ms. Lanfranchi. "It's a
different kind of learning, and it's very effective."
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 5
• ERROR FREE The time out remains the key weapon in the fight against wrong-
site surgeries.
