AORN Promotes National Time Out Day on June 17

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses is promoting National Time Out Day, June 17, to emphasize the importance of surgical teams to take a time out to confirm vital patient information prior to surgery, according to an AORN news release.

According to the release, the Joint Commission requires all accredited healthcare facilities to practice a time out as part of its Universal Protocol, and the World Health Organization provides a safety checklist for surgical teams to use in operating rooms. In spite of these protocols, wrong site surgery and other preventable mistakes still occur, according to the release.

This year, a video contest was held by AORN and opened to hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to highlight their surgical team's time out process to share with the association. Ten winners were selected that demonstrated strong compliance with the WHO checklist and the Universal Protocol.

"As the leader in advocating for excellence in perioperative practice and healthcare, we always are looking for strategies that will further protect surgical patients," Patrick Voight, AORN president, said in the release. "National Time Out Day and the videos will remind and teach surgical staff members to focus on the safety of each and every patient they see. We are proud of this initiative and the commitment from across the country."

Read AORN's release about National Time Out Day.

Learn more about National Time Out Day.