Retained surgical item and positioning injury review
Some surgical injuries come from the nursing side of the operating room: counts, positioning, equipment and the time-out. A perioperative nurse reviews the intraoperative record against AORN guidance and the facility's policies.
What the nurse reviewer examines
- Surgical counts: when they were done, discrepancies and how they were resolved
- Use of imaging or radiofrequency detection when counts were off
- Positioning, padding and duration for nerve and pressure injuries
- Electrosurgical and fire safety, skin prep and burns
- Universal protocol: site marking and time-out
- PACU monitoring and handoff
Records to request
A starting checklist; the reviewer will flag what's missing once they have the chart.
- Intraoperative nursing record and count sheets
- Operative and anesthesia records
- Positioning and equipment documentation
- Imaging taken in the OR
- PACU records
- OR policies on counts, positioning and universal protocol
Questions attorneys ask
Who is responsible for surgical counts?
Counts are a team process, usually led by the circulating nurse and scrub person under facility policy; the surgeon also has responsibilities. The review looks at what each role documented.
What causes positioning injuries?
Pressure and stretch on nerves and skin during long procedures. The review checks positioning and padding documentation, repositioning during long cases, and early recognition afterward.
Consultants
Consultants in these specialties review cases privately. Post a brief and the ones who match will see it first.
Post a redacted brief, compare proposals
Describe the case without names. License-verified nurses in the right specialty send proposals with their experience and rate. Records are shared only after you hire, in an encrypted workspace.