Patient safety
Microbiology and Biotechnology Reports, Kathy Nabbi, a now retired Bank Scrub Practitioner, concludes that: “We owe it to our patients, our surgeons and our employers to always work within safe remits to avoid retention of swabs in the operating theatres.”8 Retained swab incidents can adversely affect any organisation that carries out invasive procedures and therefore should not be underestimated. The time and cost implications for healthcare providers, along with the potentially devasting impact on patients lives, means everyone, from those setting policy in trusts to those responsible for checking swabs in theatres, has a duty of care to ensure watertight procedures are in place to avoid retained swab incidents.
References 1. Health Services Investigations Body (2023a) Interim report. Retained swabs following invasive procedures: themes identified from a review of NHS serious incident reports. Available at
https://www.hssib.org.uk/patient- safety-investigations/retained-surgical- swabs/investigation-report/ (Accessed 10 January 2024).
2. Weprin, S., Crocerossa, F., et al. (2021) Risk factors and preventative strategies for
unintentionally retained surgical sharps: a systematic review, Patient Safety in Surgery, 15(1), 24, doi: 10.1186/s13037-021-00297-3
3. Cochran, K. (2022) Guidelines in practice: prevention of unintentionally retained surgical items, AORN Journal, 116(5), pp 247-440. Doi: 10.1002/aorn.13804
4. Freitas, P.S. (2016) Surgical count process for prevention of retained surgical items: an integrative review, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(13-14), pp. 1835-1847. Doi: 10.1111/jocn.13216
5. NHS Resolution (2021) Freedom of information Request 5164. Available at https://resolution.
nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ FOI_5164_Foreign-body-left-in-situ-Wrong-site. pdf (Accessed 10 January 2024).
CSJ
6. NHS Resolution (2022) Freedom of information request 5552. Available at https://resolution.
nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ FOI_5552_Foreign-body-left-in-situ-Wrong-site. pdf (Accessed 29 January 2024).
7. NHS Resolution (2023) Freedom of information request 6172. Available at https://resolution.
nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ FOI_6172_Foreign-body-and-Wrong-site- surgery.pdf (Accessed 9 January 2024).
8.
https://www.pulsus.com/scholarly-articles/ usage-of-swab-safe-swab-management- system.pdf
About the author
Tracey Pavier-Grant is a trained diagnostic radiographer, who started her career within the NHS. In her current role as Sales & Marketing Director at Central Medical Supplies, Tracey works with medical device suppliers to source products that make a positive difference to both patients and medical professionals. A privately owned company, Central Medical Supplies is renowned for its critical care and neonatal equipment, including warming cabinets, patient temperature management products, pressure relief positioners, baby feeding equipment, apnoea monitors and phototherapy devices.
Düsseldorf, Germany 11–14 November 2024
Member of
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together and discover the world of MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY.
International Trade Shows Link Ltd.
(UK Representative of Messe Düsseldorf) 3rd Floor Radcliffe House _ Warwick Road Solihull _ B91 2AA
Tel: +44(0)1564 781871, DDI: +44 1564 781 870 E-mail:
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