Table 2 Frequency of different sources of the first surgical counting interruptions
Scource | Description of the interruption | Frequency | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
People entering or exiting the OR | borrowing or returning something, requesting help | 93 | 13.3 |
Surgeons | informing CNs to prepare the special surgical instruments or other supplies | 32 | 4.6 |
Anaesthetists | asking CNs to intervene when the intravenous injection is too slow, asking CNs about the order of surgical medication, asking CNs for supplies | 35 | 5.0 |
Instruments | difficulty in checking the integrity of microsurgical instruments | 144 | 20.7 |
Disinfection supply center | not closing the tip of the clamp neatly, order of instrument string doesn’t match instrument count paper | 117 | 16.8 |
Procedure | interruptions intrinsic to surgical work | 120 | 17.2 |
Environment | the ringing of the fixed-line telephone in the OR, noises of equipment alarms, messy operation tables, overly loud music, noise outside the OR | 87 | 12.5 |
Electrophysiological monitoring staff | requesting to record number of electrodes | 20 | 2.9 |
Nurses themselves | surgical count was too fast, CNs asked to check again, discrepancies between surgical count and instrument count paper, teaching SNs at the start of the learning curve | 49 | 7.0 |
Overall | 697 | 00 |