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Discussion

Interrupted Count

Hey guys I'm an RN working in the OR. Over the past few months i've really noticed something disturbing happening with surgeons at my work and was wondering if it's typical behavior or if my workplace needs to be informed....

When a count is being done often surgeons just seem to want to hurry up and close even though they haven't been told the count is correct. Now in small procedures this isn't so much a problem but with large cases ( i.e open AAA )sometimes as a scrub nurse i'm that busy handing stuff over that i cannot keep an accurate tally although i do my best.

So what i'm asking here is it unreasonable for the surgeon to wait just two minutes for the second count to be done? I often find as well that the surgeons often interrupt a count which is frustrating. It's understandable if they need to stop a bleed and need a suture but for other things they should just wait IMHO. I'd be in the middle of counting sponges and they keep asking for things. It's very annoying and i usually ignore them until i finish what i'm counting. Often other scrubs stop and have to start again and again which makes me want to scream!

So any advice here?

Featured Replies

I THINK IT'S A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM!

ebear

I have to agree, its a universal problem. I don't care if they ignore me or not. I ignore them right back when I'm doing counts or timeouts. I try my best to keep them happy, but some things are just more important than them and thats the patients.

They'll care once a lap is left inside the patient after skin is closed. The idiots don't seem to realize that your count is protecting their ass as well as yours.

They'll care once a lap is left inside the patient after skin is closed. The idiots don't seem to realize that your count is protecting their ass as well as yours.

Exactamundo!

I'd be in the middle of counting sponges and they keep asking for things. It's very annoying and i usually ignore them until i finish what i'm counting. Often other scrubs stop and have to start again and again which makes me want to scream!

So any advice here?

If the surgery is done why are they still asking for things? Shouldn't the count start when they're done?

I'm just asking, BTW. I don't work in the OR. Saw two surgeries during clinicals, so take my question as a question, please. :)

If the surgery is done why are they still asking for things? Shouldn't the count start when they're done?

I'm just asking, BTW. I don't work in the OR. Saw two surgeries during clinicals, so take my question as a question, please. :)

Ideally you count just before closing a cavity, so you know you need to find something tha's missing before the stures are all done.

Ideally you count just before closing a cavity, so you know you need to find something tha's missing before the stures are all done.

Gotcha.

Thanks.

Typically when the circulator has his/her clipboard, indicating they're ready to count, i say "one second" and they understand that, because i'm going to hand the surgeon a closing suture before i get started counting, otherwise they will interrupt to ask for it. Their stitching gives them something to do while we count. By the time they have 3 passes of the PDS in, we have our sponges and sharps counted, and then ready to start on instruments.

The majority of our docs are patient about the count. We had one who got an attitude about it once, and i said "Well we do this for the patient, patient comes first" And how are people going to argue with that?

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