The Time Out is a surgical safety checklist for surgery and invasive procedures (not always in an operating room) conducted in hospital by medical staff, designed to check for correct patient, procedure, site and side; and it is crucial to avoiding error, like infection, complications, even death.
This is important because medical error is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
This simple, free checklist reduces deaths due to error by 50% and complications by 30% as reported by by Atul Gawande and Haynes’ WHO research study published in the NEJM (2009).
The Time Out Project is about how to put Time Out into practice, effectively. It was developed and initiated by myself and Dr. Edward Fishkin Medical Director at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.
The project proposal was developed with the support of Dr. David Nash at Jefferson School of Population Health; and AMSA’s Patient Safety and Quality Leadership Institute led by Marina Zeltser, Boris Rosenfeld and myself.
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Thoughts from Minda Aguhob, M.Ed., a graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Education, leader in quality improvement, and researcher. Minda has over 20 years of innovative experience in healthcare and education.
This blog includes thoughts from people with whom Minda has the pleasure and privilege of teaching and collaborating.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maguhob
Personal blog: maguhob.wordpress.com
Twitter: @studentsforqual
The Time Out Project 