Safety in the surgical environment
Patient Safety Monitor, July 1, 2010
This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Patient Safety Monitor.
Editor’s note: The following column explores patient safety from the perspective of a newcomer to the field. Columnist Catherine Hinz, MHA, is the patient safety lead at HealthEast Care System in St. Paul, MN. Previously, Hinz worked for seven years as an ED health unit coordinator, completed a patient safety internship with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and finished a residency with The Studer Group. In her monthly contribution, she will express her thoughts, emotions, and ideas related to patient safety.
One of the first things I did when I started in this role was observe surgical cases. The surgical environment fascinates me for many reasons. In patient safety, the operating room (OR) is often one of the most high-profile areas for an adverse event, such as a wrong-site surgery or retained foreign object. Surgery can change the course of a patient’s disease, condition, and healing process in a matter of hours. The unique team dynamics in surgery consist of an incredible amount of interdependence, differing education levels, hierarchy, and minimal interaction with the patient. Lastly, on a personal level, I have undergone two knee surgeries but remembered very little about the process, although it’s one in which I’m interested. I was excited to see the teams in action.
I originally intended to observe surgical cases for the purpose of paying close attention to our timeout process. Month after month, our audits neared 100% correct completion rates. This rate of success, while not impossible, left questions in my mind about our technique and auditing practices.
This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Patient Safety Monitor.
Related Products
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- CMS puts hospital surveys on limited hold as surge continues
- Don't forget the three checks in medication administration
- Practice the six rights of medication administration
- Note similarities and differences between HCPCS, CPT® codes
- Q&A: Primary, principal, and secondary diagnoses
- The consequences of an incomplete medical record
- Skills of effective case managers
- Nursing responsibilities for managing pain
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- ICD-10-CM coma, stroke codes require more specific documentation
- E-mailed
-
- CMS puts hospital surveys on limited hold as surge continues
- Charge and bill Medicare all pre-operative diagnostic tests
- How to create a safety protocol for emergency department psychiatric patients
- Know guidelines and subtle differences in code descriptions for laceration repairs
- Injections and infusions continue to confuse coders
- Q&A: Mechanical room storage, risk assessments, patient rooms
- Peer review vs. risk management review: What's the difference?
- Modifier -25: Is that E/M service really above and beyond the norm?
- Long-Term Care Training Solutions
- Get the facts on emergency department FAST exams
- Searched