Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Sociotechnical Aspects: Clinicians and Technology
Lecture:Patient safety
Slide content:Universal Protocol for Preventing Patient Harm during Surgery In 2003, the Joint Commission approved the Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure and Wrong Person Surgery Since 2004, protocol required for all accredited facilities Components of Universal Protocol: Conducting a pre-procedure patient/site verification process Marking the procedure site prior to surgery Performing a pre-procedure time-out 7
Slide notes:7 There is a small but distinct possibility that patients will be harmed during surgery. One unfortunate cause of patient harm is when surgery is inadvertently performed on the wrong site or even on the wrong patient. In 2003, The Joint Commission approved the Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery. Since 2004, this universal protocol has been required for all accredited hospitals, ambulatory care settings, and office-based surgical facilities. Components of the universal protocol include conducting a patient and site verification before the surgery, using a process that is replicable; and clearly marking the procedure site before the surgery begins. Surgical teams also perform a pre-procedure time out where they recheck important safety parameters and then proceed only if no issues are identified. These components, when combined in a well-defined, repeatable process, can reduce or prevent patient harm during surgery. Theres a small but distinct possibility that patients will be harmed during surgery. One unfortunate cause of patient harm is when surgery is inadvertently performed on the wrong site or even on the wrong patient. In 2003, The Joint Commission approved the Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery. Since 2004, this universal protocol has been required for all accredited hospitals, ambulatory care settings, and office-based surgical facilities. Components of the universal protocol include conducting a patient and site verification before the surgery, using a process that is replicable, and clearly marking the procedure site before the surgery begins. Surgical teams also perform a pre-procedure time out during which they recheck important safety parameters and then proceed only if no issues are identified. The Joint Commission continues to work toward ensuring that the right tools and resources are available to assist providers in maintaining the highest degree of patient safety possible and reducing errors. These components, when combined in a well-defined, repeatable process, can reduce or prevent patient harm during surgery.