|
|
|
|
At Bluewater Health, patient safety and quality of care are the highest priority to ensure a safe experience for patients who undergo surgery here. One key tool used is the surgical safety checklist.
What is the Surgical Safety Checklist (SSCL)?
The SSCL is a patient safety communication tool that is used by the operating room team (nurses, surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and others) to discuss important details regarding the surgery at three distinct phases:
- Briefing - this phase begins while the patient is awake and involves staff verifying information with the patients. Information verified includes: patient name, date of birth, procedure/surgery, allergy check, medication check, operation site/side/procedure.
- Time Out - this phase is completed just prior to the skin incision and staff verify information such as: patient position, operation site/side/procedure, antibiotics check.
- Debriefing - this phase takes place following surgery but before the patient leaves the OR and includes information such as: surgeon and anaesthetist review important items, nurse reviews correct counts.
In many ways, the surgical checklist can be likened to the checklist used by airline pilots just before take-off. It is the final check by staff at the hospital prior to patient surgery and is used to make sure everyone knows the important medical information they need to know about the patient, all equipment is available and in working order, and that everyone is ready to proceed.
The per cent compliance is calculated as follows:
# of times all three phases of the surgical safety checklist was performed X 100 = % compliance
Total Surgeries
If you are having surgery at Bluewater Health, you can expect to have the checklist performed during your procedure.
For more information on this reporting requirement, visit the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s website at www.ontario.ca/patientsafety. |
|
|