Retained Surgical Items continue to be one of the top sentinel events to The Joint Commission and Unintended Retained Surgical Items continue to cause injury to patients.  As a never event, it is considered 100% preventable.  This course will examine the incidence and pattern of RSIs and describe available adjunct technology for incorporation into the manual count process to improve accuracy of counts, reduce near misses, and prevent RSIs.

Objectives:

• Identify challenges associated with manual counting of surgical sponges.
• Describe adjunct technologies available to supplement manual counting procedures and prevent RSIs.
• Discuss strategies for combining adjunct technologies with manual counting procedures to minimize the risk of RSIs and improve patient safety in healthcare facilities.

The surgical care environment contains many elements that must be optimized in order to deliver safe patient care and to create a safe place of employment. Failure to account for certain elements within the perioperative environment may result in surgical site infections, decreased efficiency, negative effects on the staff, compromised cybersecurity, or negative patient outcomes. An integrated environment of care, one in which many elements should be considered such as air quality, equipment, and room layout, must be established to ensure a safe clinical environment for both patients and staff.

Objectives:

• Review important elements in creating a culture of safety in the perioperative setting for patients, staff, and other stakeholders
• Describe potential consequences of an ineffective safety culture
• Discuss best practices in designing a surgical suite to deliver safe perioperative care and support positive patient outcomes
• Identify key factors to be considered when creating the environment of perioperative care, including product selection criteria
• Discuss elements that create a safe, ergonomic, efficient workplace for surgical team members