TY - JOUR
T1 - Reducing the risk of unintended retained surgical sponges
T2 - A quality improvement project
AU - Grant, Erica K.
AU - Gattamorta, Karina A.
AU - Foronda, Cynthia L.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Background: Unintended retained surgical sponges (URSSs) are preventable catastrophic events that occur in the surgical environment. Purpose: A community hospital in the southern United States sought to reduce the occurrence of URSSs by implementing a quality improvement initiative. Methods: We conducted a practice improvement project that incorporated safety-sponge technology preceded by education and training. Staff knowledge and practice expectations were assessed using a pre-post-intervention survey followed by internal audit. Results: Staff knowledge significantly improved after the tailored education and training. A chart audit conducted 15 weeks after the intervention showed compliance with the technology was 99.4%, incorrect surgical counts went from 4% to 0.8%, and number of URSSs went from 2 to 0. Conclusion: The project demonstrated a reduced risk of incorrect surgical counts and URSSs in the facility.
AB - Background: Unintended retained surgical sponges (URSSs) are preventable catastrophic events that occur in the surgical environment. Purpose: A community hospital in the southern United States sought to reduce the occurrence of URSSs by implementing a quality improvement initiative. Methods: We conducted a practice improvement project that incorporated safety-sponge technology preceded by education and training. Staff knowledge and practice expectations were assessed using a pre-post-intervention survey followed by internal audit. Results: Staff knowledge significantly improved after the tailored education and training. A chart audit conducted 15 weeks after the intervention showed compliance with the technology was 99.4%, incorrect surgical counts went from 4% to 0.8%, and number of URSSs went from 2 to 0. Conclusion: The project demonstrated a reduced risk of incorrect surgical counts and URSSs in the facility.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pcorm.2020.100099
DO - 10.1016/j.pcorm.2020.100099
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85082862733
VL - 21
JO - Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management
JF - Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management
SN - 2405-6030
M1 - 100099
ER -