Before an operation begins, a designated member of the team calls a time-out. The team confirms the correct patient, the correct side and the correct site. The Joint Commission has required this since 2004. Its Universal Protocol calls for “active communication among all members” of the team. The protocol is designed so that the procedure does not start if a member of the team has concerns.
The Joint Commission’s patient safety goals for 2004 also covered orders given by voice or by telephone. The nurse who receives the order writes it down. Then the nurse reads the whole order back to the physician.