The development and implementation of a biopsy safety strategy for oral medicine

The development and implementation of a biopsy safety strategy is described in this article. Analysis of previous adverse incidents relating to biopsies acted as a catalyst to review our biopsy pathway at Liverpool University Dental Hospital. Input from all staff involved enabled us to develop a biopsy safety strategy which was divided into five stages: preoperative assessment of patient and procedure, team briefings, biopsy surgical safety checklist, surgical removal and handling of biopsy specimens, and post-biopsy follow-up. It is hoped that other clinical teams will take the opportunity to review their own biopsy processes, in the light of our experience.