Retained foreign bodies from the view of the OR nurse

Patient safety in the operating room is of high priority for the surgical team and for all healthcare workers involved. Counting procedures contribute to minimizing potential risks for the patients, especially in preventing them from leaving the operating room with retained, unintended foreign bodies. A total of 64% of operating room nurses involved in a survey are reported as having been involved in a surgical procedure in which the correct count prevented foreign bodies from being left in the patient. In addition, the strengths and potential weak points of the counting procedures could be identified. The results of the survey and drafts for a standard counting control as well as procedural recommendations are presented for discussion. A recommendation can be provided for each surgical department in order to check their own counting methods for avoiding potential risks.