4 1
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
We continue down the checklist on the day of surgery until the
moment the patient is ready to be moved into the OR. Before the final
move, there's another pause. Because if that patient needs to be
draped differently or put on the table differently, the time to realize
that is before he's in the OR, not after.
In all, we have 92 items in advance of the final pre-surgical pause,
which takes place in the OR. And we're not done yet. There are
reminders built into the protocol that take place during the surgery.
For example, a timer goes off every hour to remind us to update fami-
ly members. And there's another pause after surgery to discuss any
issues with recovery or anesthesia. Ultimately, the protocol continues
for another 5 days after surgery.
The ultimate preference card
Once you use my checklist, you may wonder how you could have prac-
ticed without it. I've given many lectures, and there are now hundreds,
if not thousands, of surgeons using it. I think of it as the ultimate pref-
erence card. It comes down to helping people do their jobs the right
way, and vastly improving patient safety and satisfaction as a result.
OSM
Dr. Rosenfield (drr@drrosenfield.com) is a plastic surgeon in private practice, the director
of the Peninsula Plastic Surgery Center in Burlingame, Calif., a traveling professor for the
American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and a professor at the University of California
San Francisco and Stanford University.
