Nursing

Hospitals can fly high with pre-surgery checklists

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, July 7, 2006

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The Air Force has developed a surgical checklist that's used before every surgery, according to Lt. Col. Hilde P. Stewart, USAF, NC, surgical suite flight commander. Stewart is stationed at Andrews Air Force Base.

The Air Force's surgical checklist includes several elements. Team members stop before a procedure and check on each element to ensure that everyone is prepared for the operation, according to Stewart and Patient Safety Officer Brigetta D. Craft, RN, MSN, ND, IBCLC, of Andrews Air Force Base.

Team members check

  • each individual's proficiency at the particular procedure. There might be other team members in the room who are more experienced with the procedure at hand. Knowing everyone's proficiency can help less experienced staff find answers during the operation.
  • fatigue level and illness. Tired or sick nurses, technicians, anesthesiologists, and surgeons are more likely to make errors. If the fatigue or illness is a real problem, the staff member can be replaced.

To get more tips that can help your surgeries go smoothly, go to Briefings on Patient Safety (BOPS). For the cost of just three stories, you can get the entire July issue of BOPS. Click here to choose between the PDF and HTML versions for just $30. Subscribers to the online version of BOPS have free access to this article. Subscribers to the print newsletter can find this article in their July issue.



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