ON YOUR MARK Patients never get taken to the OR unless we've marked the site.

Site Marking
Stop, You Forgot to Mark the Site

To make sure surgical sites are always marked before patients enter the OR, we keep a plastic sleeve with 2 can't-miss messages on the patient's chart at the bedside, along with an indelible marker. When the surgeon arrives to sign the consent form, and review the history and physical exam, the "stop" sign is facing up and the marker is easily accessible. Once the site is marked, we flip the sleeve over to the green "thumbs up" side, and the OR nurse knows it's OK to proceed to the OR. Since we started using this system, we've never missed a site to be marked.

Julianne Nesselroade, RN, BSN
Gladiolus Surgery Center
Fort Myers, Fla.
[email protected]