Centralized Surgical Item Counting Station for Real-Time Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical item counting methods, particularly for sponges and needles, are prone to human error and miscounting due to decentralized systems, leading to Retained Surgical Items (RSI) incidents, which pose significant safety risks and financial burdens.
Innovation Solution
A centralized surgical item counting station with a mobile, compact design featuring a display screen and mounted containers for sponge count bags, allowing for real-time counting and recording at a single, accessible location, reducing movement and human error.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If decentralized counting methods are used with white boards located away from the operative field, then nurses can record non-sterile items, but communication errors increase and counting accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sterile field counting surface and non-sterile field recording surface into a single integrated count board located at the operative field. This merging eliminates the need for nurses to travel to separate locations and ensures both sterile and non-sterile item counts are recorded together, improving communication and reducing errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The count board serves as an intermediary communication device between the sterile field and non-sterile field personnel. By placing it at the operative field, it facilitates real-time communication and coordination between nurses responsible for different counting tasks, reducing miscommunication errors.
2Reliability
If multiple personnel are involved in counting, then comprehensive accounting is achieved, but human factors increase the risk of errors
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated count board provides immediate visual feedback to all personnel involved in the counting process. By displaying counts in real-time at the operative field, it allows all nurses to verify counts together, providing mutual feedback and reducing individual human errors through collective verification.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical item counting station for providing organization and efficiency in counting items and communicating information. The surgical item counting station comprises a top plate having a diameter forming a table top surface and being adjacent and perpendicular to a display screen mounted on an adjustable column mounted on a base terminating at feet. The display screen is adapted to receive and display information about at least one item and general communications. A shelf having a substantially equal diameter to the top plate and being located below and in parallel to the top plate is provided. The shelf includes shelf side walls with a mounting means adapted for mounting at least one container device below the top plate. Preferably the container device is a sponge count bag. Preferably the shelf is a rotational shelf while the top plate or table top is non-rotational.