Patients count on their surgeon and the entire surgical team to keep them safe throughout their procedure. The safety standards must start before the procedure starts. One step in this is a surgical timeout, which occurs before the first incision is made.
A surgical timeout is a short, deliberate pause taken by the entire surgical team immediately before a procedure begins. The goal is to ensure that nobody misses critical aspects of the case.
What happens during a surgical timeout?
During the timeout, everyone involved, including surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and other staff, stops what they’re doing to verify key information. This includes confirming the patient’s identity, procedure and the surgical site. Other critical factors, such as allergies, should also be discussed during this time.
Why do timeouts matter?
Surgical errors are rare, but they can be devastating. Performing surgery on the wrong body part or even the wrong patient has lifelong consequences. The surgical timeout creates a final checkpoint to catch any miscommunication or oversight before it’s too late. When a surgical error occurs, the patient may need extensive medical care afterward. This can include needing more surgeries or other care, all of which can be costly for the victim.
Those victims may opt to pursue a claim for compensation, but these cases are often complex. Working with an individual who’s familiar with these matters may be beneficial, particularly if they have contact with a medical expert who can assist with showing what went wrong during the procedure.