BACKGROUND: Wrong-site, wrong-procedure and wrong-patient surgeries are catastrophic events for patients, medical caregivers and institutions. Operating room (OR) briefings are intended to reduce the risk of wrong-site surgeries and promote collaboration among OR personnel. The purpose of our study was to evaluate 2 OR briefing safety initiatives, "07:35 huddles" (preoperative OR briefing) and "surgical time-outs" (perioperative OR briefing), at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ont. METHODS: First, we evaluated the completion and components of the 07:35 huddles and surgical time-outs briefings using direct observations. We then evaluated the attitudes of the OR staff regarding safety in the OR using the "Safety Attitudes Questionnaire, Operating Room version." Finally, we conducted personal interviews with OR personnel. RESULTS: Based on direct observations, 102 of 159 (64.1%) 07:35 huddles and 230 of 232 (99.1%) surgical time-outs briefings were completed. The perception of safety in the OR improved, but only among nurses. Regarding difficulty discussing errors in the OR, the nurses' mean scores improved from 3.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.2-3.8) prebriefing to 2.8 (95% CI 2.5-3.2) postbriefing on a 5-point Likert scale (p < 0.05). Personal interviews confirmed that, mainly among the nursing staff, pre-and perioperative briefing tools increase the perception of communication within the OR, such that discussions regarding errors within the OR are more encouraged. CONCLUSION: Structured communication tools, such as 07:35 huddles and surgical time-outs briefings, especially for the nursing personnel, change the notion of individual advocacy to one of teamwork and being proactive about patient safety.
BACKGROUND: Wrong-site, wrong-procedure and wrong-patient surgeries are catastrophic events for patients, medical caregivers and institutions. Operating room (OR) briefings are intended to reduce the risk of wrong-site surgeries and promote collaboration among OR personnel. The purpose of our study was to evaluate 2 OR briefing safety initiatives, "07:35 huddles" (preoperative OR briefing) and "surgical time-outs" (perioperative OR briefing), at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ont. METHODS: First, we evaluated the completion and components of the 07:35 huddles and surgical time-outs briefings using direct observations. We then evaluated the attitudes of the OR staff regarding safety in the OR using the "Safety Attitudes Questionnaire, Operating Room version." Finally, we conducted personal interviews with OR personnel. RESULTS: Based on direct observations, 102 of 159 (64.1%) 07:35 huddles and 230 of 232 (99.1%) surgical time-outs briefings were completed. The perception of safety in the OR improved, but only among nurses. Regarding difficulty discussing errors in the OR, the nurses' mean scores improved from 3.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.2-3.8) prebriefing to 2.8 (95% CI 2.5-3.2) postbriefing on a 5-point Likert scale (p < 0.05). Personal interviews confirmed that, mainly among the nursing staff, pre-and perioperative briefing tools increase the perception of communication within the OR, such that discussions regarding errors within the OR are more encouraged. CONCLUSION: Structured communication tools, such as 07:35 huddles and surgical time-outs briefings, especially for the nursing personnel, change the notion of individual advocacy to one of teamwork and being proactive about patient safety.
Authors: Martin A Makary; Christine G Holzmueller; David Thompson; Lisa Rowen; Eugenie S Heitmiller; Warren R Maley; James H Black; Katherine Stegner; Julie A Freischlag; John A Ulatowski; Peter J Pronovost Journal: Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf Date: 2006-06
Authors: Martin A Makary; J Bryan Sexton; Julie A Freischlag; Christine G Holzmueller; E Anne Millman; Lisa Rowen; Peter J Pronovost Journal: J Am Coll Surg Date: 2006-05 Impact factor: 6.113
Authors: Martin A Makary; Arnab Mukherjee; J Bryan Sexton; Dora Syin; Emmanuelle Goodrich; Emily Hartmann; Lisa Rowen; Drew C Behrens; Michael Marohn; Peter J Pronovost Journal: J Am Coll Surg Date: 2006-12-08 Impact factor: 6.113
Authors: J Bryan Sexton; Martin A Makary; Anthony R Tersigni; David Pryor; Ann Hendrich; Eric J Thomas; Christine G Holzmueller; Andrew P Knight; Yun Wu; Peter J Pronovost Journal: Anesthesiology Date: 2006-11 Impact factor: 7.892
Authors: T Gauss; P Merckx; C Brasher; J Kavafyan; E Le Bihan; B Aussilhou; J Belghiti; J Mantz Journal: Langenbecks Arch Surg Date: 2012-11-13 Impact factor: 3.445
Authors: Camilla B Pimentel; A Lynn Snow; Sarah L Carnes; Nishant R Shah; Julia R Loup; Tatiana M Vallejo-Luces; Caroline Madrigal; Christine W Hartmann Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2021-02-08 Impact factor: 6.473
Authors: Janaka Lagoo; Steven R Lopushinsky; Alex B Haynes; Paul Bain; Helene Flageole; Erik D Skarsgard; Mary E Brindle Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2017-10-16 Impact factor: 2.692