EBT1 Project 3 Sharyn Heinzelman Western Governors University
EBT 1 2
A1. Procedure The operating room (O.R.) procedure of operating on the wrong site although, inconceivable to those outside of the healthcare industry does occur in hospitals across the country. Wrong site surgery may include operating on the wrong site, on the wrong person, or doing the wrong procedure (Bergal, Schwarzkopf, Walsh, & Tejwani, 2010). The O.R. is one area in the hospital where medical errors or near misses can occur (Mulloy & Hughes, 2008). As noted by Pelczarski, Braun, and Young (2010) the incidence of wrong site surgery is not known because reporting is voluntary but there continue to be reports that this is an ongoing problem. Since 1993 greater than 2200 wrong site surgeries have been reported (Bergal et al., 2010). The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (TJC) in the United States (2001) estimated 41% of wrong site surgery occurs in orthopedic surgeries and 20% in general surgeries. The current procedure allows surgeons to use a variety of methods to mark the patient prior to surgery. This includes everything from a dot to a signature to a not “stating this is the side.” The consequences of operating on the incorrect side of the body may have no long lasting effect on the patient or result in permanent damage (Pelczarski, Braun, & Young, 2010).
A2a. Basis for Practice The basis for changing the method of site marking is to have everyone involved in the surgery as well as the patient agree on the correct surgical site preventing any serious adverse
EBT 1 3 events. The TJC, an organization that certifies
