Swab Safe Management

2^nd International Congress on Pediatrics, Neonatal and Nursing Care

November 25, 2021 | Webinar

Kathy Nabbie

RGN- Surgical First Assistant, London, United Kingdom

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Res Pract

Abstract :

Swab Safe Management is a process which happened on a Saturday at 19.30 hrs in April 2012. I was the theatre coordinator in the list. We had a never event of a retained swab in a breast wound. The following week, I changed practice, following audits for four (4) weeks in eight (8) theatres. Until recently, no one ever asked me how I felt. I knew what steps to take to remove the swab. But most of all, I felt for the surgeon. As theatre scrub practitioners we complete counts and inform the surgeon. He acknowledges the count. If later a swab is retained, it’s the surgeon who must inform the patient and remove it. By using a system especially designed for counting swabs, we can Stop Never Events of Retained Swabs and maintain safety for the patient, the consultants, perioperative staff and the hospital.