Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 10 TSC 232 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
When a Count Is Wrong
The idea
When a count cannot be reconciled, the team follows the facility's procedure for a count discrepancy, without exception.
In practice
Follow the sequence the witnesses describe. First, recount. Second, if the count still does not match, tell the surgeon and the operating room supervisor at once. Third, search for the missing item: in the wound, as the surgeon examines it, and around the field, on the floor, in the trash and in the linen. Fourth, if the item is still not found, an X-ray is taken, where available, before the patient leaves the room if the patient's condition allows. Fifth, document the discrepancy, the actions taken and the results in the patient's record.
Where people slip
Miscounts are common, and a team that finds them often can start to treat them as routine. Each one is handled as though a patient's safety depends on it, because the one time it is real, it does.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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