Preventing Wrong-site Surgeries

Did you see the news story earlier this month where a hospital in Providence, R.I. was fined $150,000 and ordered to install video cameras in all its ORs as a result of multiple wrong-site surgery cases?

The article explores some of the causes of the errors, such as the surgical team failing to properly mark surgical sites or failing to take a timeout for re-verification before cutting. You can read the report at ABC News. 

If your facility could use a refresher on strategies for reducing the risk of wrong-site surgery, the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare has a simple but comprehensive page that you may want to print off and discuss with your team, Lessons Learned: Wrong Site Surgery. 

Rodney Jensen, CST/CFA

SFA Program Director

NIFA Faculty Member Receives Award

The American College of Surgeons presents the 2009 Surgical Humanitarian Award and Surgical Volunteerism Award to, among others, Dr. Glenn W. Geelhoed, MD, MPH, FACS, NIFA instructor. Below is a photo of the award presenters and recipients; Dr. Geelhoed is standing second from the left.

Dr. Geelhoed is a fascinating and multi-faceted person--educator, traveler, adventurer and humanitarian. You can read more about him at his website. He's teaching at NIFA's Baltimore SutureStarXpress workshop this coming weekend, if you'd like to meet him in person!

Graduate Profile  

Name:  Gary Alston
Credentials:  Surgical Assistant
City & State:  Elkton, MD
Job:  Surgical Tech at Union Hospital - Cecil County
Graduated from NIFA's SA Program:  June 2009
Career Path:  In college I studied Speech and Communication; I wanted to be a corporate lawyer. When I got out of school, I had to pay for my student loans, so I went into the service, thinking I would study air-traffic control, but there was a wait for that training. My recruiter suggested I go into the medical field. OK, I thought, I'll give that a try.  At that time it was just called "Operating Room Technician." Initially, I was leery. I didn't know if I could handle the sight of blood. But from the very first day I was intrigued enough to excel. I wanted to see more and know more; I was fascinated with human anatomy.  I've been a tech since 1982.  

I spent the first six years of my 10 years in the military at the same trauma center. I also spent 15 months in Seoul and six months in Saudi Arabia during the first Desert Storm. When I got out of the army, I went to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, another trauma center. I took a stint at working in a plastic surgery clinic but found breast implants and reductions boring. For the last seven years I've been working at Union Hospital in Elkton, MD. I don't have a specialty but I prefer to do the total joints, orthopedic cases and more complex types of surgeries.

I had already been doing some first assisting and our supervisors wanted several of us techs to become more knowledgeable--to understand anatomy better and anticipate more of the surgical process instead of just holding the tractors. NIFA's SA training really increased my confidence. I can walk into a surgery and know exactly what I'm looking at, and I've gotten a lot more involved with tying and suturing and closing. This has created a new drive for my career. It definitely isn't stale.

Quote:  When I talk to young people who are just coming into the field and their confidence is waning, I tell them, you need to allow this time to pass to gain the experience. You're going to get better, you can't conquer everything at once. You learn as much as you can about anatomy and physiology, but it takes time to develop relationships with doctors and surgeons and to feel comfortable enough to go into any case and say, yes, I can do that.  I was training a young lady recently and she said, "I don't feel like I know everything." Well, of course! There are a lot of nuances and techniques that take time to develop. They come along with confidence and experience.

Computer Tip for Perioperative Outlook Users

If you use Outlook 2003 or 2007, here is a great tool that organizes all your emails and does "searches" in an instant! And it's FREE!

Visit www.xobni.com.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are strictly those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIFA. NIFA does not give any express or implied warranty as to the accuracy of statements made by our contributors and does not accept any liability for error or omission. It is the responsibility of all OR personnel to work within and adhere to their facility bylaws and individual state scope of practice.    

The National Institute for First Assisting (NIFA) is the nation's leader of distance learning First Assistant programs. NIFA's new SA250 Surgical First Assistant program is CAAHEP accredited and prepares Surgical Assistants for the role of Certified First Assistant.