Patient Safety Alert on Surgical Procedures

This document is a Patient Safety Alert that outlines critical incidents related to surgical procedures in Saskatchewan. It highlights the risks associated with surgeries involving the wrong patient, body part, or procedure, as well as the retention of foreign objects post-surgery. Since 2019, there have been reported incidents of these types, emphasizing the need for improved safety measures. The alert discusses the importance of the surgical safety checklist, which was established as a required organizational practice by Accreditation Canada in 2010. It recommends that the Saskatchewan Health Authority and healthcare organizations develop a provincial policy for surgical counts and implement the checklist in all surgical areas. The document also provides examples of critical incidents to illustrate the consequences of not adhering to safety protocols. Recommendations include ensuring proper patient identification, expanding the definition of surgery, and actively tracking the use of the surgical safety checklist to prevent future incidents.