F E B R U A R U Y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 3
A
couple years ago,
we nearly dis-
charged a patient
with a sponge left inside her.
The patient had emerged
from anesthesia and we
were about to transfer her
to PACU when we realized
she had a retained object.
But from our investigation
of the near-miss, we found
that some staff members
were hesitant to speak up when potential patient safety issues arise.
Our solution: Encourage staff to CUS in the OR.
• I'm Concerned
• I'm Uncomfortable
• This Is a Safety Issue
Staff can use these phrases to alert surgeons and staff about their
concerns. We ordered buttons that say, "We CUS in surgery! Ask me
Why." Every surgical team member wears the button on her scrubs or
ID badge. Besides serving as a visual reminder to speak up, the catchy
phrase also provides opportunities for the surgical team to share with
staff members in other areas of our hospital about what they do to
protect those in their care.
F. Jean Campbell, MSN, RN
PATIENT SAFETY
It's Okay to 'CUS' in Our ORs
• EMPOWERED CUS buttons empower staff to call for a hard stop whenever
they believe patient safety is being jeopardized.
Alton (Ill.) Memorial Hospital
frances.campbell@bjc.org
