After auditing 23 surgical cases, researchers found that hand-offs happened in 82.6% of cases, but only 34.4% of critical information was communicated through the exchange. A new surgical hand-off process for operating room staff, dubbed "SHRIMPS" could be the solution, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
The audit tool was developed by the quality improvement team at the Lexington (Ky.) VA Medical Center. The acronym "SHRIMPS" stands for "sponges, sharps, hidden items, replaced items, instruments, implants, medications, procedure overview, and specimens." Once the checklist was developed, it was posted in every OR at the medical center, according to a June 18 news release from the American College of Surgeons.
After the checklist's implementation, 100% of cases included handoffs and critical information was communicated during the exchange 98.2% of the time, according to the results.
"This study is a prime example of how quality improvement initiatives can lead to better patient outcomes," study co-author Madeline Anderson, DO, a surgery resident at Lexington-based University of Kentucky, said in the news release.
Implementing SHRIMPS didn't add extra time to their workloads, either. The process averaged 69.4 seconds.
"Part of the success of SHRIMPS comes from the QI team engaging with both topline and frontline OR stakeholders, including surgical technicians and circulating nurses," Dr. Anderson said.