5 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
SURGICAL
ERRORS
Joy A. Lanfranchi, BSN, RN,
CNOR, CMLSO, a staff nurse
— and simulation validator —
at St. Jude Medical Center in
Fullerton, Calif., swears by
simulation training to reduce
wrong-site surgery. Some
tips to do it right:
• Make it realistic. Conduct
it in an empty OR and use a
high-fidelity simulation man-
nequin that makes breathing
sounds and has a demon-
strable pulse. For a mastectomy simulation, she covered the
mannequin with Saran Wrap so they could mark the site.
• Ask surgeons and anesthesia to participate. Ms. Lanfranchi
had a surgeon tuck a surgical sponge beneath the drape so the
team came up short during the post-surgical count.
• Record the training session so staff can evaluate their per-
formance. "That creates a lot of 'aha' moments," says Ms.
Lanfranchi. "When you look at the video, you see what errors you
made or what you could have done better. That's a lot more
powerful than a validator saying, 'You know you did this wrong.'"
• Use the training purely as a learning tool rather than as a
means of measuring competency. When it's solely about learn-
ing, "people are much more open to it."
— Bill Donahue
• RIGHTING WRONGS Involving surgeons and
anesthesiologists in simulation training may help to
reduce the number of post-training surgical errors.
THE REAL DEAL
How to Run a Successful Simulation
