A new protocol for surgeries and other procedures conducted at Ohio hospitals and health care facilities could help eliminate medical errors by helping to ensure that the correct procedure is being performed on the correct patient.
The new protocol was announced Wednesday by the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA). The protocol will allow Ohio medical facilities to meet a July 1, 2004 compliance date with the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's Universal Protocol for surgical procedures. The statewide standard was developed by the Ohio Patient Safety Institute, a subsidiary of the Ohio Health Council, in cooperation with a number of medical care stakeholders.
The protocol establishes step-by-step procedures to identify patients, the surgical procedure the patients will undergo and the location where the procedure is to be performed.