Home | Organization | Services | Member Benefits
Legislative | Socieconomics | Calendar | Contact & Proposals
News
Have a proposal for FOGS or looking for a service?
Use this link to contact our office.
More...
Thank You!
FOGS and the Florida Section ACOG recognize their corporate supporters
More...
Liability Issues Report
Please use this form liberally to report the related practice problems you are facing
The Form
On Call Medical Coats
FOGS has teamed up with On Call Medical Coats to offer our members quality embroidered labcoats
Shop for Coats
FOGS Endorsed Malpractice Carrier offering a 5% discount to FOGS members
More Info
Lubell & Rosen
FOGS Endorsed
Pre-Paid Legal Defense
More Info
Your practice could receive a dividend of up to 24.8% of your workers compensation premium.
More Info
Preventing M
By Sandra Strickland, RN, MSN - Risk Management Consultant
Maintaining patient safety and preventing medical errors are critical issues for healthcare providers. Wrong site, wrong procedure, and wrong patient surgery are catastrophic medical errors that continue to occur depsite increased efforts to prevent them. The reduction of such errors, however, can be accomplished through fundamental risk management practices.
The Universal Protocol
In September 2003, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) estimated receiving five to eight new reports of wrong surgery every month. Studies have shown that the majority of wrong-site surgeries occur in orthopedic or podiatric cases. The "American Academy of of Orthopaedic Suregons (AAOS) estimates that an orthopedic surgeon's chance of performing a wrong-site surgery during a 35-year career is one in four." In response, the AAOS has taken the lead in efforts to eliminate wrong-site surgery. At a national summit involving te AAOS, JCAHO, the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgery, and the American Dental Association, a "Universal Protocol" was developed. The four components of the protocol include: a preoperative verification process; "Sign Your Site" - marking the operative area; "Time Out" - reserving time for all surgical team members to ensure all processes are completed and accurate prior to starting a procedure; and compliance with the protocol regardless of the surgical setting. For example, the Universal Protocol would be applicable for an endoscopic procedure performed in a GI Lab, a cataract extraction in an ambulatory surgery facility, an arthroscopy in a private practice or a cardiac cathetrization in a cardiac catheterization lab.
A review of surgical errors has identified that patients with unusual physical characteristics, those undergoing multiple procedures, those with multple surgeons, or those with time pressures to initiate the surgical procedure are at greater risk for surgical error. Other factors that contribute to surgical errors include:
- Unusual equipment or set-up in the surgical suite,
- Staffing problems,
- Distractions,
- Lack of access to pertinent information,
- Failure to require adherence to verification processes,
- Failure to verify and mark operative site,
- Failure to require a patient assessment, and
- Human factors, such as communication breakdowns, novice providers, and lack of teamwork.
By Sandra Strickland, RN, MSN - Risk Management Consultant
Maintaining patient safety and preventing medical errors are critical issues for healthcare providers. Wrong site, wrong procedure, and wrong patient surgery are catastrophic medical errors that continue to occur depsite increased efforts to prevent them. The reduction of such errors, however, can be accomplished through fundamental risk management practices.
The Universal Protocol
In September 2003, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) estimated receiving five to eight new reports of wrong surgery every month. Studies have shown that the majority of wrong-site surgeries occur in orthopedic or podiatric cases. The "American Academy of of Orthopaedic Suregons (AAOS) estimates that an orthopedic surgeon's chance of performing a wrong-site surgery during a 35-year career is one in four." In response, the AAOS has taken the lead in efforts to eliminate wrong-site surgery. At a national summit involving te AAOS, JCAHO, the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgery, and the American Dental Association, a "Universal Protocol" was developed. The four components of the protocol include: a preoperative verification process; "Sign Your Site" - marking the operative area; "Time Out" - reserving time for all surgical team members to ensure all processes are completed and accurate prior to starting a procedure; and compliance with the protocol regardless of the surgical setting. For example, the Universal Protocol would be applicable for an endoscopic procedure performed in a GI Lab, a cataract extraction in an ambulatory surgery facility, an arthroscopy in a private practice or a cardiac cathetrization in a cardiac catheterization lab.
A review of surgical errors has identified that patients with unusual physical characteristics, those undergoing multiple procedures, those with multple surgeons, or those with time pressures to initiate the surgical procedure are at greater risk for surgical error. Other factors that contribute to surgical errors include:
- Unusual equipment or set-up in the surgical suite,
- Staffing problems,
- Distractions,
- Lack of access to pertinent information,
- Failure to require adherence to verification processes,
- Failure to verify and mark operative site,
- Failure to require a patient assessment, and
- Human factors, such as communication breakdowns, novice providers, and lack of teamwork.