Venous
Thromboembolism
Prevention
Thromboembolism
Prevention
These non-pharmacological devices use inflatable cuffs to periodically squeeze the calves to promote venous return
What are SCDs (Sequential Compression Devices)?
These are the two most common person-specific identifiers used to verify a patient's identity prior to any procedure
What are the patient's full name and date of birth (DOB)?
Instead of using the PKA handoff tool, all periop nurses must review this document during a nursing handover
What is the Perioperative Doc?
During this formal OR safety moment, immediately before skin incision, the entire surgical team must collectively pause to verbally re-verify the patient's identity, surgical site and procedure
What is the Time Out?
Unless hands are visibly soiled with dirt, blood, or body fluids, this is the preferred and most effective method for routine hand hygiene in a clinical setting
What is an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub (ABHR)?
DVT guidelines strongly advocate for this simple, non-pharmacological nursing intervention as early as possible post-operatively
What is Early Ambulation?
To comply with safety standards, a nurse must verify the two identifiers against the facesheet, and this physical item attached to the patient
What is the patient's identification armband?
To maintain accuracy and relevancy, all information shared during the verbal handover with PACU must have this specific focus
What is a focus on the surgical procedure?
In alignment with UBCH’s focus on Patient-Centred Care, this specific individual is actively involved during the briefing to give them a sense of control and the ability to advocate for themselves.
Who is the patient?
Healthcare providers perform hand hygiene during these specific, moments during care, collectively known as the "Four Moments"
What is 1. Before patient contact
2. Before an aseptic procedure
3. After body fluid exposure risk
4. After patient contact?
These two primary conditions make up Venous Thromboembolism
What are Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE)?
If there is any discrepancy between the patient's verbal statement, the ID band, and Cerner, the nurse must perform this action before delivering any care
What is halting the check-in and checking the patient's legal ID
When relevant to the case, handover must cover these two specific intra-operative surgical accountability measures to ensure nothing is left behind or mislabeled.
What are Surgical Count Status and Specimens?
This specific team member, or their fully informed designate, is responsible for initiating the Briefing phase
Who is the attending surgeon?
This common misconception leads to cross-contamination; nurses must remember that using these protective barriers does not replace the need for hand hygiene
What are gloves?
Every admitted patient should undergo evaluation comparing their risk for VTE against this competing risk
What is the risk of bleeding?
This specific alphanumeric code, found on the patient's ID band, is an acceptable second identifier, whereas the patient's bed number is strictly prohibited
What is a Medical Record Number (MRN)?
To officially complete the handover, the outgoing and receiving nurses must document their sign-out and sign-in times in this specific segment the electronic record.
What is the Case Attendees Segment?
During the Briefing, the surgeon or designate must verify these four components regarding patient identity and preparation out loud
What are the correct patient name, consent, procedure/site/side marked, and correct patient position?
This specific type of infection is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) following an operation, and tracking its rate is critical for quality improvement
What is a Surgical Site Infection (SSI)?
These dermatological conditions could be contraindications to the use of mechanical DVT prophylaxis
What are open wounds, active dermatitis, or severe cellulitis?
This independent, national healthcare accreditation organization mandates the use of at least two patient identifiers as its very first National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG)
What is Accreditation Canada?
The outgoing nurse must communicate these two distinct types of alerts: one covering clinical risks like allergies, and the other covering risks like Hazardous Drug Group 1 Precautions
What are clinical safety alerts and process alerts?
Out of the estimated 7 million people worldwide who suffer surgical complications each year, expert modeling suggests that this proportion of injuries is potentially preventable
What is around half (50%)?
Low-level disinfection in the OR is used to reprocess items that only come into contact with intact skin—such as OR beds, monitors, and IV poles—which fall under this category of the Spaulding Classification system
What are non-critical items?