Wristband prevents doctors from erring in the OR
9:46 p.m. Friday, June 16, 2006
When Julia Newton needed an operation on her ear, her doctor took steps to make sure there would be no mix-up in the operating room that the surgery was for her left ear.
“He was marking the ear, and asked me if that is the correct ear,” Newton said. “I said yes.”
Since 2004, laws required doctors to mark the body part in consultation with the patient before surgery, but on rare occasions, doctors operate on the wrong body part.
“I thought it was embarrassing to the medical profession and to hospitals to ever have this mistake made,” Dr. Richard Chole, ear, nose and throat specialist, said. “I started thinking about ways we might prevent the error.”
Dr. Chole invented a “smart” wristband at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Dr. Chole’s inspiration came from a home improvement store.
“I was buying a tool and there was an anti-theft device in the tool,” Dr. Chole said. “So, they activated the anti-theft device and I got through the gate without setting off the alarm. So, I thought, why not use that technology?”
More Information
Wrong site surgery is rare, but can result in serious medical consequences. Between 1995 and 2005, doctors and patients reported 455 cases. You can research more information on technology that prevents medical errors.
The wristband works when the doctor marks the surgery site with a pen that has a specialized sticker attached. Then, the doctor puts the sticker on the wristband to deactivate it. If doctors don’t follow theses steps, a detector outside the operating room alerts the staff.
Newton said she didn’t notice the extra wristband, but she knew she was in good hands.
“I told him that I had heard that people, when they have other surgery, that they mark with their own pen,” Newton said. “It was nice to have the doctor do it.”
The wristband functions as a simple safety step to remind doctors to make their mark.
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