In a recent piece for Periop Insider, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses outlined the top nine reasons that could lead to a wrong-site surgery, broken down in three categories. They are:
During surgical booking
- Errors on the booking form or illegible information
- An unapproved form was used for booking
- The booking form was not received within 48 hours of surgery
During pre-op
- Inadequate patient verification by surgeon
- Inadequate patient verification by anesthesia provider
- Documents like consent, history and physical, surgeon booking orders or OR schedule were missing or incorrect
In the OR
- Patient’s name, identifier and intended procedure were not read
- Team members did not stop talking and activities without being prompted from a team member
- No one visually and verbally confirmed the correct site mark during time out
AORN pulled this information from data from the Targeted Solutions Tool for Safe Surgery from the Joint Commission.
More articles on patient safety:
30-day readmission metric needs to be revamped
SSIs, surgical errors and OR safety: 15 recent stories
10 states with the most ‘Straight A’ Leapfrog hospitals
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
