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Implementing AORN Recommended Practices for Prevention of Retained Surgical Items
Author(s) -
Goldberg Judith L.,
Feldman David L.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/j.aorn.2011.11.010
Subject(s) - perioperative , ambulatory , medicine , perioperative nursing , multidisciplinary team , surgical procedures , multidisciplinary approach , protocol (science) , medical emergency , surgery , nursing , alternative medicine , social science , pathology , sociology
Retention of a surgical item is a preventable event that can result in patient injury. AORN's “Recommended practices for prevention of retained surgical items” emphasizes the importance of using a multidisciplinary approach for prevention. Procedures should include counts of soft goods, needles, miscellaneous items, and instruments, and efforts should be made to prevent retention of fragments of broken devices. If a count discrepancy occurs, the perioperative team should follow procedures to locate the missing item. Perioperative leaders may consider the use of adjunct technologies such as bar‐code scanning, radio‐frequency detection, and radio‐frequency identification. Ambulatory and hospital patient scenarios are included to exemplify appropriate strategies for preventing retained surgical items.