Journal of perioperative practice
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A concurrent audit was conducted over a four week period to determine if the counting of swabs, needles and instruments for surgery adhered to local policy and recommended guidelines. Data were collected on 30 abdominal surgical procedures. ⋯ It identified poor communication within the multidisciplinary team. There needs to be an increased awareness about local policy, national and international guidelines regarding the counting of swabs, needles and instruments for all surgical procedures.