The Patient Belongs To Everyone In The Operating Room

Surgical disciplines meet with patients, decide what operation(s) to perform, discuss the risks/benefits, and manage post-operative admissions with follow-ups. Undoubtedly, it’s a time and labor intensive job, and as a perioperative physician myself, I have an undying respect for my surgical colleagues.

However, once the patient enters the operating room, their care is a shared responsibility. The patient doesn’t “belong” to any one team during this period of high acuity.

Patients deserve a coordinated effort among all of the perioperative disciplines (surgery, anesthesiology, nursing, techs, reps, labs, pathology, etc) to deliver the safest and most effective care before, during, and after surgery. It’s up to everyone to keep the patient’s well-being at the forefront of our efforts by respecting each team’s role in providing our expertise at the right moments.

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