Guideline Implementation: Medication Safety

AORN Position Statement on Patient Safety

“…Vital components of a safe perioperative environment include, but are not limited to, organizational commitment to a safe and just culture ; patient centeredness; 2,5 teamwork; 8 effective communication; 9‐11 a safe environment of care ; 12‐15 prevention of ○infections, 10,16‐18 ○ wrong‐site surgery, 19 ○ positioning injuries, 20 ○ pressure injuries, 20 ○ medication errors, 21 ○ specimen errors, 22 ○ patient falls, 20,23 ○ surgical fires, 12,14,24 ○ exposure to surgical smoke, 25 ○ sharps injuries, 26 and ○ unintended retained surgical items; 27 effective cleaning and care of instruments; 28 safe patient handling and movement; 20,23 onboarding practices that effectively prepare perioperative teams to deliver safe patient care; 29 education and competency verification of perioperative personnel; and safe staffing and on‐call practices 30 …”

Tumescent Solution

“…Answer: It is not acceptable to use normal saline for irrigation as a solvent for tumescent solutions. A fundamental principle of medication safety is that nurses should administer all medications in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions for use (Burlingame & Conner, 2021). The manufacturer's instructions provide specific directions for correct administration of the medication (Burlingame & Conner, 2021).…”