Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Reducing Risks for Surgery

Wrong site surgeries are rare and difficult to study. But most health care organizations recognize the risk is there. A group of eight hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers joined a project of the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare to prevent wrong site, wrong side and wrong patient surgical procedures. These organizations identified 29 main causes of wrong site surgeries, ranging from scheduling processes to operating room procedures to organizational culture. Holy Spirit Hospital, a 319-bed facility in Camp Hill, Penn., was one of the participants. According to Susan McQuade, R.N., associate director, surgical services, the Joint Commission project ?was completely data driven? and helped Holy Spirit identify improvement opportunities. For example, the timeout before incision has been expanded so everyone?from surgeon to anesthesiologist to surgical technician?actively participates. The hospital?s scheduling process has higher standards for documentation and provides extra checks. Joseph Torchia, M.D., chief medical officer, notes that the ?increase of awareness and standardization? has improved the overall culture of safety. All the project?s participating organizations reduced the causes of risks that could result in wrong site surgery. For more information about Holy Spirit Hospital, contact McQuade at smmcquade@hsh.org.