4 Ways ASC Staff Can Stay Sharp to Avoid Medical Errors

Are ASC team members sometimes “over-trusting” each other to the point of compromising safety practices and inserting risk or even harm into our organizations?

“Yes,” worries longtime ASC leader Jamie Ridout, MSN, MBA, RN, CNOR, CASC, NEA-BC.

She's concerned that the confounding effects in outpatient surgery, stemming from lower-risk procedures, repetitive operations, and teams that consistently work together and develop implicit trust, are hindering strict adherence to safety checks designed to protect patients.

While there is no research showing implicit trust leading to patient harm in the ASC environment, Ridout is starting the conversation during her education session in the Ambulatory Hub at AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2024.

We were interested in understanding how ASC nurses can initiate their own discussion on this emerging topic. Ridout shared her thoughts on staying sharp for patients, and suggested these four ways that even the most connected ASC team members can avoid medical errors:

1. Always Practice with Excellence

Continuously staying informed about best practice standards and recommended methods, gaining relevant certifications, and actively engaging with your professional organization are key ways to foster ongoing professional development and growth.

2. Follow the Evidence

Adhere to the policies, procedures, and protocols that have been established in your organization. They have been developed based on evidence to ensure patient safety.

3. Hold Yourself and Others Accountable

If that patient on the table was the person you love most in the world, what would you expect your healthcare team to be doing when no one is watching?  If you can answer that question, then you know what you need to be doing for all patients.

4. Do the Right Thing

Speak up and voice your concerns in a professional manner and remember that leadership cannot change what they don't know.

Ridout also challenges ASC leadership and administrators to collaborate with the industry in researching clinical safety, especially as more complex procedures move into ambulatory settings. “If we do not perform the easy stuff with excellence, we are not setting ourselves up for excellent outcomes when things get more challenging.”

Bring your ideas and questions on clinical safety practices in ASC care to Ridout’s session Can Implicit Trust in Our ASC Team Lead to Medical Errors? at AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2024.