Surgery

The surgery staff at St.Vincent Dunn Hospital is committed to providing you safe and excellent care. We follow the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' "Patient Safety Standards."

Our Patient Safety Standards

The safety of patients undergoing operative or other invasive procedures is a primary responsibility of the perioperative registered nurse. These safety standards involve:

• Correct patient
• Correct surgical procedure and site
• Medication safety

Correct Patient

To ensure we have the correct patient:

1. You will be asked multiple times to identify yourself by stating your name and date of birth.

2. Your ID bracelet will be checked to ensure that it matches the information you give us.

Correct Surgical Procedure and Site

To ensure we are performing the correct surgical procedure on the correct site:

1. You will be asked what surgery you are having.
2. Your surgeon will mark and initial the surgical site when there is a choice of right or left side.

A "time out" is taken immediately prior to your procedure by our staff to ensure correct patient and correct procedure.

Medication Safety

To ensure medication saftey:

1. We will verify medication you are taking at home.
2. We will verify absence of allergies before giving medications.
3. We have computerized medication dispensing systems.
4. We label all medications on the surgical table.