AORN journal
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In 2000, a report was published that focused on the high rate of medical errors in the United States. Wrong site surgery is defined as any surgery performed on the wrong site or patient or performing the wrong procedure. Since January 1995, 197 wrong site surgeries have been reported through the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations sentinel event reporting system. ⋯ This article describes the problem and identifies potential causes for incidences of wrong site surgery. The article also describes steps to act on AORNs patient safety initiative, which includes five suggestions for the development of any surgical site verification policy. Using these suggestions as guidelines for developing a policy and procedure will help decrease the risk of avoidable errors.
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Obstructive sleep apnea in the ambulatory surgery setting has become a more significant concern in recent years because its Identification and recognition are a critical part of preoperative patients' risk assessment. The types of surgeries that can be performed on an outpatient basis have increased and include many specialty procedures that previously were performed on an inpatient basis only. Ambulatory surgery has proven to be a cost-effective alternative for patients and physicians; however, patients in this setting often have complex surgical histories. ⋯ Reviewing patients' histories can help nurses identify symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, allowing them to alert the surgical team of special requirements. Ambulatory patients with identified obstructive sleep apnea will require a planned course of care. Ambulatory care facilities should have a policy in place to ensure that safe care will be provided to patients for the entire perioperative course.
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Review Comparative Study
Preoperative hair removal--a systematic literature review.
This article describes a systematic literature review on whether, how, and when to perform preoperative hair removal. By searching electronic databases and reference lists of relevant articles, team members identified 20 clinical studies that deal with preoperative hair removal. ⋯ Furthermore, there was strong evidence to recommend that when hair removal is considered necessary, shaving should not be performed. Instead a depilatory or electric clipping, preferably immediately before surgery, should be used.