On TOP of anything else… let’s do the TIME OUT!

Cathline D. Avellano, RN

Safety has always been the main concern of those people involved in the medical profession. This is especially true in the Perioperative Nursing setting as we deal with one of the most stressful environment in the hospital.
There had been no data on surgical statistics related to errors committed in the OR. But most of us will agree that this happens, maybe even involving ourselves. Did anyone ever encountered missing a sponge, realizing that you have prepped the wrong site or an instrument is nowhere to be found just as the surgeon is doing the last stitch on the patient’s skin?
If these things do not seem to prove as alarming then you better think twice. Consider yourself on the OR table and witnessing such situations unfold like how it was in the movie Awake.
The Time Out Process (TOP) was discussed in the 34th Annual Convention and Scientific Meeting and has proved to be one of the favourite topics of the participants based on the evaluation gathered. This just goes to prove that we still value the thought of surgical conscience as this is related to the practice of the Time Out Process.
The “Time-out” process as defined by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is a system performed by the health care team before any surgical procedure is done. Included in these parameters is to make certain that the following are checked, verified and acknowledged by the whole surgical team: Patient Identification, Informed Consent, Verification of Procedure & Site, Surgical Marking, Verification of Correct Position and availability of Implant, Special Equipment &/or Imaging Studies needed for the surgical procedure.
The perioperative group organized in the country is committed to eradicate or at least lessen the incidence of wrong patient, wrong site, and wrong procedure surgery. They developed ways to improve protocols that will effectively eliminate these circumstances. Since the “Time-Out” process has just been recently introduced in the Philippines and that it is not yet widely practiced in all hospitals in the country, the effectiveness therefore is challenged by the fact that there are a limited number of surgical errors reported as compared to the number of actual incidences.
As we geared towards standardization of the Perioperative Nursing Practice, there is a need to open up ourselves and embrace a system that highlights patient safety more than anything else. After all this is what really matters – ensuring that each patient goes though the surgical experience taken cared of by efficient and effective healthcare team.
Everybody listen! It’s “Time-Out” time!