For decades now, healthcare improvement advocates have focused on improving basic surgical safety. This led to development of the so-called universal protocol or surgical time-out, which aims to make sure that surgeons and operating room (OR) teams are performing the correct surgical procedure on the correct patient at the correct site.
When it comes to doing the surgical time-out, the more the merrier. It’s most effective when all OR participants are present in the operating room with the patient in front of them. OR team members include the surgeons, anesthesiologist physician, certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), registered nurses, and surgical techs. This brief time-out is essentially a conversation to make sure that everyone is on the same page concerning what’s about to happen.
While these measures have reduced wrong-patient and wrong-site surgeries, they haven’t eliminated them. That’s why hospital accrediting agency The Joint Commission’s new Speak Up For Safe Surgery campaign is interesting to me.
As a former hospital administrator and now long-time Houston, Texas medical malpractice lawyer, I’ve always been an advocate for patients being active participants in their own healthcare. And this means having a voice and speaking up, rather than reflexively just going with the flow.
Just like courtrooms are familiar to attorneys, but tend to terrify doctors, antiseptic-smelling hospitals are comfortable safe spaces for healthcare providers. And anywhere someone’s comfortable, it’s easy to get into routines. An active, engaged patient asking appropriate questions and being engaged in the process adds another safety layer to prevent safety from falling through the cracks.
Before surgery considerations
The Joint Commission recommends patient engagement long before the day of the trip to the operating room:
• Talk to your surgeon about your current medications. It’s always important for your physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners to have a complete list of your prescription and over-the-counter medications. For surgery, though, it’s even more critical because it may be necessary to stop taking some drugs before surgery.
• Ask about any dietary restrictions before surgery.
• Find out if you need to bring any medical devices, such as a CPAP machine, to the hospital.
• Discuss anesthesia and sedation options.
Speak up on the day of surgery
Additionally, the Speak Up For Safe Surgery campaign recommends:
• Carefully reviewing informed consent and other paperwork for accuracy, asking questions about anything you don’t understand. Make sure that the consent forms correctly reflect the type of surgery you’re going to have and the exact location on your body.
• Ask about having the surgical location marked on your body.
• Inquire about what to expect after surgery regarding incisions, drains, and lines.
• Ask your anesthesia provider and surgeon if they’ll be participating in a surgical time-out in your case.
All patients rely on surgeons, physicians, and nurses for their health care expertise. It’s important not to forget, though, that patients play a leading role in their own health care and safety.
If you’ve been seriously injured because of poor surgical or operating room care in Texas, then contact a top-rated skilled Houston, Texas medical malpractice lawyer for help in evaluating your potential case.
