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Safety Star |
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Use of the Universal Protocol (UP), the technique to prevent wrong site / wrong procedure errors that includes pre-procedure verification of the process, site marking and a "time out" huddle of clinicians immediately before the procedure is a mandatory safety standard. Most of the focus has been in the operating room; however, the Universal Protocol should be followed wherever procedures are performed. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine looked at methods to improve compliance with the UP. This focused on the nurse initiating the time out checklist. Compliance increased from 16% to 94%. Here at MUSC, our September Safety Star Erika Connors of the Neonatal ICU exemplifies this focus on safety; she strongly encouraged physicians to perform a timeout before a procedure, and avoided a procedure on the wrong patient! |
