AAAASF Offers Three Error Reduction Practices to Improve Patient Safety

GURNEE, Ill. -- The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF), in its recently published ASF Newsletter, offered three tips to help ensure a positive patient experience in outpatient surgery. The article was authored  by Richard J. Greco, MD, of Savannah , Ga., a member of the AAAASF board of directors. The tips are as follows:

1. Marking the operative site: The physician should mark the operative site in the holding area before the patient is brought back into the room. Some facilities have found that using Red markers for the Right side and Lime (green) for the Left side reinforces the correct side. Adding a sheet of red paper for right or lime green for left on the front of the chart also can be helpful to prevent wrong-side surgery.

2. Time-outs: After the patient is asleep and before the surgery begins, the circulator and surgeon should verify out loud with each other the name of the patient, the complete operation planned and the correct side to have surgery.  This helps to make sure that all parts of a combined procedure surgery are thought about and performed correctly as well.

3. Drug identification: When the circulator hands the scrub tech, anesthesia provider, or physician any medicine, he/she should read aloud not only the drug, but the concentration and quantity so that there is not any misunderstanding of what the correct drug that is being administered. The individual receiving the drug can read back what he/she believes he/she has so that the circulator can confirm that it is the correct drug. Drug allergies should be announced at the start of the case to the operative team. This can reduce the risk of using an incorrect drug.

"Quality improvement programs or protocols, as described above, are important topics to help improve patient safety.  Programs can be designed to study any aspect of the patient's surgery to help improve the overall experience,” according to Greco.

The ASF newsletter can accessed at: http://www.aaaasf.org/newsletter.php

Source: American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc.

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