Joint Commission, AORN: Take time for Time Out

The Joint Commission and the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) are urging healthcare organizations to recognize National Time Out Day to help draw attention to the time out as a tool to prevent of wrong-site, wrong-side, wrong-procedure, or wrong-person surgery. In a letter sent to perioperative nurses across the country, AORN and The Joint Commission asked all immediate members of the surgical team and the organizations where they work to commit to conducting a safe, effective time out for every patient, for every surgical procedure.

A wrong-site surgery can be devastating for the patient, the surgical team and the healthcare organization, the Joint Commission stated. National Time Out Day is an annual event that aims to heighten awareness of the importance of the time out, the process a surgical team utilizes prior to the start of a surgical procedure to prevent a wrong-site, wrong-side, wrong-procedure or wrong-person surgery. National Time Out Day is June 12.

Source: The Joint Commission