Fewer Wrong-Site Peripheral Nerve Blocks Following Updates to Anesthesia Time-Out Policy.

ABSTRACT: Background: Peripheral nerve block (PNB) has been shown to be safe and effective, and its use has continued to increase, but it is not without risks. One potentially preventable risk is wrong-site blocks (WSBs). Our institution mandated a time-out process before PNB in 2003, and then in 2007 made two more changes to our policy to mitigate risk: (1) the circulating/block nurse was the only person permitted to access the block needles; after a time-out period was complete, the nurse gave the needles to the anesthesiologist; and (2) the nurse remained at the patient's bedside until the PNB was initiated. Purpose: We sought to compare the incidence of WSBs before and after this time-out process was implemented in 2003 and the enhanced form of it was implemented in 2007. We hypoth

SUBMITTER: Harris SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8361586 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature