Surgical safety at RVH given top marks
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Posted By Staff
Updated 1 month ago
Royal Victoria Hospital has scored exceptionally well for its surgical safety checklist (SSCL) compliance rate.
The safety checklist protocol was put into place by RVH in September 2009 as a reportable public safety indicator, as mandated by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
Results of the first three months of data were released Friday, showing the hospital had a compliance rate of 99.73 per cent.
Hospitals must now post SSCL compliance percentages on their websites and indicate that all three phases of the checklist — the pre-surgery briefing, time-out before surgery begins and a team debriefing following the procedure — were performed for all surgical procedures in that period.
"Operating room teams have used different types of checklists for many years," said RVH vice-president Dr. Martin Lees. "The three-phase SSCL has emerged as a useful best practice because it organizes the information at the right moments in time."
"Surgical cases that have unforeseen clinical complications such as airway difficulties or cardiac compromise may prevent one or more of the checklist's three phases from being performed," said surgery program director Shawn Virtue. "At the request of the ministry, these incidences must be reported, therefore leading to a slightly less then 100 per cent compliance rate for Royal Victoria Hospital."
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