Time-out designed to avoid surgical mistakes being largely ignored
Procedure meant to avoid performing wrong procedures or on wrong sites
A “time-out” intended to eliminate mistakes during surgery is not being complied with by a significant number of medical personnel, according to a new study.
“Methodology and Bias in Assessing Compliance with a Surgical Safety Checklist,” published in the February issue of Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, found that although surgical safety checklists -- which include a perioperative time-out -- have been shown to improve performance on a variety of patient safety measures, some of the items on it are being skipped.