Time-outs are vital to ensuring surgical patient, procedure and site accuracy, among other factors. The success of the time-out depends on organization before the fact. The following are five steps to improve the quality of time-outs when they occur, from one of the most popular posts of 2013 on The Joint Commission's blog, Ambulatory Buzz.
1. Identify potential surgical risks.
2. Standardize the surgical booking process, both in procedure and in documentation, to minimize errors.
3. Assign roles to each team member for the time-out itself.
4. Physically reference the site mark during time-out, using one leader to point it out while the entire team is watching.
5. Don't rush time-outs, even if time feels short. Prioritizing patient safety is more important than being on time, and avoiding errors will certainly save time overall.
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1. Identify potential surgical risks.
2. Standardize the surgical booking process, both in procedure and in documentation, to minimize errors.
3. Assign roles to each team member for the time-out itself.
4. Physically reference the site mark during time-out, using one leader to point it out while the entire team is watching.
5. Don't rush time-outs, even if time feels short. Prioritizing patient safety is more important than being on time, and avoiding errors will certainly save time overall.
More Articles on Accreditation:
Unique Pharamaceuticals issues 100+ product recall for ASCs, hospitals
Eisenberg Award applications open August 1
4 tips for preparing for Joint Commission accreditation surveys