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Discussion Board Forum 6: Surgical Care Improvement Project
Jessica Fisher
Liberty University BUSI 646
August 1, 2019
Professor Dr. Colleen McLaughlin
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The Surgical Care Improvement Project
“Although surgeon experience differed across days of the week, the risk of 30-day
mortality after elective surgery was similar regardless of which day of the week the procedure
took place” (Dubois, Vogt, Vinden, Winick-Ng, McClure, Roshanov, Bell, & Garg, 2017, p.
E303). Undergoing surgery, no matter how minor or major it is, can be scary for any patient.
While surgery is meant to help patients who are ill or injured, it does not always go according to
plan. Complications can occur at any given time, even post-surgery. The Surgical Care
Improvement Project (SCIP) was put in place in order to reduce the amount of complications for
patients post-surgery, including injury, infections, and even mortality (Rosenberger, Politano, &
Sawyer, 2011, p. 164).
Surgical Timeout
One way a hospital administrator can improve the outcomes of surgery, both during and
post-surgery, would be implementing safety tactics prior to the initial cut of the patient. For
example, a surgical timeout must be performed properly prior to the surgery beginning. With
this being a universal protocol for all surgery patients, the hospital administrator can revamp it in
their own way to make sure patient safety is the surgical team’s priority. In the universal
protocol, there are three steps that must be completed: verification of the procedure prior to the
surgery being commenced, marking the surgical site that will operated on, and utilizing the
surgical team to correctly identify the patient’s procedure (Lee, 2010, p. 20). However, to take it
a step further for ensuring patient’s safety, the hospital administrator could require a board in
each operating room (OR) that will have the patient’s name, date of birth, procedure being
conducted, procedure location on the patient’s body, and any other information that may seem
pertinent to the surgery. Each member of the surgical team could be instructed to verify that all
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information is correct prior to the surgery, with everyone in agreement that they are in fact doing
the correct surgery on the appropriate patient. In a time span of thirty days, “a total of 402,899
procedures (50.6% in men) were performed by 1,691 different surgeons” (Dubois et. al, 2017, p.
E308). Surgeries are happening every day, and it is important for each member of the surgical
team, whether they are pre-operative, peri-operative, or post-operative, to ensure a patient’s
safety is their number one priority. Without safety precautions, patients are at higher risk for
infection and other illnesses or injuries after surgery.
Training Implementation
In order for the surgical care team to understand how to ensure a patient’s safety and the
proper protocols for safety techniques such as the surgical time out, training programs must be
put in place for each team member to know the steps and understand them fully. Even though
these techniques are most likely taught in school, the hospital administrator can hold quarterly
programs where surgeons, nurses, surgical techs, anesthesiologists, and any other care team
members will be responsible for being present and showing the proper ways they ensure patient
safety. Improving training programs and keeping all employees up-to-date on safety measures
will decrease the amount of surgical complications in the hospital. Performing surgery is never
an easy task and can often become stressful or anxiety inducing. Therefore, training programs
could be implemented throughout the hospital where residents and other students could
experience different complications that could occur during surgery, helping expose them to
different situations and teaching them how to control their emotions. “Measures to ensure
optimal preparation of surgical residents to perform well in stressful situations should also be
taken, because such situations are an intrinsic part of this specialty” (Ali & Vogel, 2013, p. 45).
Biblical Integration
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“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”
(Proverbs 22:6, ESV). Teaching the proper techniques on safety guidelines could be the
difference between a patient’s life and death during, or after, a surgery. Taking the time to learn
the right way is important because the care team needs to have patient’s safety in their mind at all
times, making it the first priority. When patient safety is the priority, there is less of a chance for
harm or death to occur.
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References
Ali, A. U., & Vogel, J. D. (2013). Safety of surgical resident training. Advanced Surgery, 47, 45-
57.
Dubois, L., Vogt, K., Vinden, C., Winick-Ng, J., McClure, J. A., Roshanov, P. S., Bell, C. B., &
Garg, A. X. (2017). Association between day of the week of elective surgery and
postoperative mortality. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 189(8), E303-
E309. Doi:10.1053/cmaj.160511
Lee, S. L. (2010). The extended surgical time-out: Does it improve quality and prevent wrong-
site surgery? The Permanente Journal, 14(1), 19-23. Doi:10.7812/tpp/09-124
Rosenberger, L. H., Politano, A. D., & Sawyer, R. G. (2011). The surgical care improvement
project and prevention of post-operative infection, including surgical site infection.
Surgical Infections, 12(3) 163-168. Doi:10.1089/sur.2010.083
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