01/26/2026
The surgical TIMEOUT is now a standard component of the Universal Protocol for the prevention of Wrong-Site Surgeries. In theory, it represents the last firewall between the patient and an untoward surgical mishap, acting as a final confirmation amongst the entire surgical team regarding what is about to transpire surgically.
As practiced in many hospitals, the surgical TIMEOUT consists of the Circulating Nurse reading aloud the name of the patient, the planned surgical procedure(s) and operative site(s), any pertinent allergies, and an ever growing list of items to be checked off prior to the initiation of surgery. The Surgeon commonly signifies agreement with either a verbal “yes” or a simple nod of the head. Anesthesia may do the same. The Scrub Tech more commonly is a silent participant in the process.
The TIMEOUT is clearly worth doing, and it is worth doing right.
