Surgical count process: evidence for patient safety

Cross-sectional study with a sample of 55 nurses. Data collection occurred from August to December 2013, with application of an instrument submitted to face and content validation, composed of data on variables regarding characteristics of nurses, hospital, and surgical count process.

Results

Fifty-two (94.5%) nurses reported that the surgical count process was carried out in their workplaces. A statistically significant association was found between the surgical count process and the type of institution (P=0.046), and between the presence of a surgical technologist and the processes for counting surgical instruments (P<0.001) and sponges (P=0.016).

Conclusion

The results found contributed to understand how, by whom, and when the surgical count process was carried out in the studied hospital.

Perioperative nursing; Patient safety; Nursing research

Variables	Surgical count process		P*

	Yes N=52 (94.5%)	No N=3 (5.5%)
Type of institution	N (%)	N (%)	0.046
Public	30 (100)	0 (0)
Private	14 (82.4)	3 (17.6)
Philanthropic/Private/Public	8 (100)	0 (0)
Presence of a surgical technologist			0.275
No	25 (89.3)	3(10.7)
In some surgeries	18 (100)	0 (0.0)
Yes	9 (100)	0 (0.0)
Surgical technologist included in the team			1.000
Never	24 (96.0)	1 (4.0)
Sometimes	14 (93.3)	1 (6.7)
Always	14 (93.3)	1 (6.7)

Variables	Counting of surgical instruments				Counting of sponges				Counting of sharps

	Yes N=29 (%)	No N=23 (%)	N/A N=3 (%)	P	Yes N=45 (%)	No N=7 (%)	N/A N=3 (%)	P	Yes N=25 (%)	No N=27 (%)	N/A N=3 (%)	P
Type of institution				0.399*				0.546*				0.319*
Public	15 (50)	15 (50)	0 (0)		26 (86.7)	4 (13.3)	0 (0)		12 (40)	18 (60)	0 (0)
Private	10 (58.8)	4 (23.6)	3 (17.6)		13 (76.5)	1 (5.9)	3 (17.6)		9 (52.9)	5 (29.5)	3 (17.6)
Philanthropic/Private/Public	4 (50)	4 (50)	0 (0)		6 (75)	2 (25)	0 (0)		4 (50)	4 (50)	0 (0)
Presence of a surgical technologist				<0.001*				0.016*				0.171*
No	22 (78.6)	3 (10.7)	3 (10.7)		18 (64.3)	7 (25.0)	3 (10.7)		15 (53.6)	10 (35.7)	3 (10.7)
In some surgeries	6 (33.3)	12 (66.7)	0 (0)		18 (100)	0 (0)	0 (0)		8 (44.4)	10 (55.6)	0 (0)
Yes	1 (11.1)	8 (88.9)	0 (0)		9 (100)	0 (0)	0 (0)		2 (22.2)	7 (77.8)	0 (0)
Surgical technologist included in the team				0.120*				0.319*				0.645**
Never	12 (48)	12 (48)	1 (4)		20 (80.0)	4 (16.0)	1 (4.0)		10 (40)	14 (56)	1 (4)
Sometimes	6 (40)	8 (53.3)	1 (6.7)		14 (93.3)	0 (0.0)	1 (6.7)		7 (46.7)	7 (46.7)	1 (6.7)
Always	11 (73.3)	3 (20)	1 (6.7)		11 (73.3)	3 (20)	1 (6.7)		8 (53.3)	6 (40)	1 (6.7)

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Escola de Enfermagem Rua São Manoel, 963 -Campus da Saúde , 90.620-110 - Porto Alegre - RS - Brasil, Fone: (55 51) 3308-5242 / Fax: (55 51) 3308-5436 - Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil
E-mail: revista@enf.ufrgs.br

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[1] Corresponding author: Patrícia Scotini Freitas. E-mail: patricia.freitas@unifal-mg.edu.br