Specifying time-out points in surgical EMRs - Work in progress

Abstract

Workflows for surgical procedures have built-in time-out points to minimize occurrences of unintended faults and omissions during surgeries. They have been recommended in the best practices of appropriate surgical sub-specialties, as well as the Joint Commission. At these timeout points, designated team members perform recommended precautionary measures, such as verifying the accuracy of implants, to ensure unintended mistakes are not made before proceeding to the next stage. These precautionary measures are usually recorded in paper-based checklists and retained for a stipulated period of time. We show how these timeout points can be specified as formal workflow requirements in surgical Electronic Medical Records (S-EMRs). © 2011 Springer-Verlag.