Improving Preprocedure Time Out Compliance Using Remote Audiovisual Observation

Health care organization leaders can help prevent surgical errors by ensuring compliance with standardized preprocedure time outs that require the active participation and engagement of the entire surgical team. Some surgical department leaders have used remote video observation without audio to monitor compliance with the time out. After a sentinel event occurred, leaders at our large academic medical center initiated a quality improvement project to audit compliance with the standardized preprocedure time out. We used remote audiovisual observation to ensure that all members of the procedure team were adhering strictly to the elements of the preprocedure time out in all invasive procedure areas. Since the beginning of this remote auditing process, team member compliance with the standardized preprocedure time out has improved.