On Wednesday, hospitals across the country will participate in an effort to curb the alarming number of deaths and injuries due to medical errors, in particular, those in the operating room.
It’s called National Time Out Day 2005…
There are many different types of medical errors that can occur in the operating room--from leaving towels in the patient, to operating on the wrong limb. This year there is a focus on medication errors in the O.R.…a problem caused by the lack of uniform procedures across the country.
“We’d like to call a time out and get everyone to stop. The patient’s name is Maya Reyes,” says the circulating nurse in the O.R. at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. It’s a demonstration of how it should be done: a check--and a recheck--of medication to be given to the unconscious, and susceptible patient. “Sensorcaine, 0.25 percent expires February ’09.”
Soon, however, this procedure will become mandatory in OR’s--something that’s been a long time in coming.
On Wednesday the Association of Peri-operative Registered Nurses is spearheading the National Time Out Day 2005 campaign to reduce the risk of medication errors in the operating room setting.
The first time out day was last year, which focused on correct patient and surgical site.
Lorraine Butler, a nurse manager at Robert Wood Johnson, says, “National Time Out Day was started because it is a fact that there are numerous medical errors that can occur in a hospitals everyday. This year the patient safety issue is on safe medication administration in the peri-operative setting.”
Robert Wood Johnson does it consistently, accounting for its top five ranking nationally in patient safety. Sadly, it’s not the case across the country.
Medication errors injure about 1.3 million patients annually. Research has shown that about 42 percent of hospitals are inconsistent with their medication labeling. And get this: 18 percent of hospitals never label their medications.
It seems basic enough to make sure the doctors and nurses are getting correct the right patient, the right medicine, and the right dose through the proper route at the right time. “The circulating nurse will give it to the scrub nurse they are both responsible to make sure they do have the right medication they are using on this patient,” says Butler.
All medications, medication containers such as syringes, cups and basins on and off the surgical field will need to be properly labeled. “That is one of the 06 national patient safety goals for next year,” Butler states.
And while Wednesday is national time out day, every procedure needs a time out before it begins to make sure everything is being done correctly. “That all patients who enter the operating room be assured that their medications that are used during the surgery are appropriately dispensed and labeled correctly,” instructs Butler.
The new medication rule in the O.R.. is mandated to go into effect January first nationally by the joint commission, which regulates hospitals.
Butler says, if you’re going into the or for surgery, don’t be afraid to ask questions in the preoperative area, like, “ What are you giving me” and “Why are you giving it to me” and “Did you label the medicine” and say, “Make sure you take a time out to double check!”
For more information, click here:
www.nationaltimeoutday.com