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Designing and Implementing a Patient Safety Program for the OR
Author(s) -
Bower Janet O.
Publication year - 2002
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/s0001-2092(06)61659-1
Subject(s) - patient safety , teamwork , quality management , medical emergency , medicine , quality (philosophy) , nursing , operations management , health care , engineering , management system , management , philosophy , epistemology , economics , economic growth
Surgery has a high potential for adverse outcomes. An error involving a retained retractor caused perioperative nurses at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, to take another look at their department's patient safety practices and risk management procedures. Using another department's successful program as a model, the nurses considered the frameworks of risk management, quality improvement, and OR culture to develop a new patient safety quality improvement program for the OR. This article details the process of designing and implementing the program, which has energized staff members, enhanced teamwork, and resulted in improved patient outcomes. AORN J 76 (Sept 2002) 452–456.