Stop wrong-site surgery with a simple sticker
Stickers aren’t just for kindergartners. In fact, using them in a same-day surgery program can help you make sure you are performing the correct procedure on the correct patient in the correct location. The SurgiGuard Labeling system (Colby Manufacturing in Tullytown, PA) is comprised of two labels. One shows the words "NO CUT," and the other is a VeriSite label that provides a place for the pre-op nurse to write the patient’s name, the site, the procedure, the surgeon, and the date. Also included on the VeriSite label is an extra label with the same number as the VeriSite label that can be pulled off and placed on the medical chart.
"The presence of this number on the chart shows that the site, patient, and procedure were verified according to policy," says Kathy G. Feuerman, general manager of Colby Manufacturing. When introducing this product, allow time to introduce the product to the appropriate committees, write the policy or procedure to accompany the use of the labels, and educate staff, Feuerman advises.
The advantage of this system over the practice of marking and signing the site directly on the skin, is that the label in the chart is a quick way to find the notations that document verification and extra proof that verification did occur, she explains.
Application of the label begins prior to surgery with the pre-op staff completing the information and placing the labels, says Mark Vandersnick, RN, nurse manager of the operating room at Black Hills Surgery Center in Rapid City, SD. The labels stay on the patient until the operating room team again has verified the patient’s identity, procedure, surgeon, and site, then the VeriSite label is removed to prep for surgery.
The only downside to the labeling system is the reaction of some patients who object to the graphics on the "No Cut" label, which shows a scalpel, or who object to having a sticker placed on their skin, Vandersnick says.
This doesn’t happen often, and when it does, nurses don’t place labels, he adds. "We use it for almost every procedure except eyes, ears, and procedures such as vasectomies," Vandersnick says. The labels come in 3" round, 1.5" round and 1"x 3" rectangular shapes, Feuerman says. The cost is $1.35 per label, but volume discounts are available, she says.
The company also will provide sample policies and procedures to same-day surgery programs interested in the labeling system.
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For more information, or to place an order for the SurgiGuard labeling system, contact: Colby Manufacturing Corp., 1016 Branagan Drive, Tullytown, PA 19007-6301. Telephone: (800) 969-3718 or (215) 949-2860. Fax: (215) 949-1680. Web: www.colbymfg.com.
Stickers arent just for kindergartners. In fact, using them in a same-day surgery program can help you make sure you are performing the correct procedure on the correct patient in the correct location.
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