The World Health Organization has developed an initiative to improve surgical safety worldwide.  One of the components of the programme is a surgical safety checklist.  The components of the checklist are part of standard operating room procedures for most hospitals in Canada.  The COA emphasizes the importance of a surgical "timeout" in overall safety for patients undergoing orthopaedic procedures.

Before the induction of anaesthesia the surgeon marks the surgical site with his/her initials, confirms with the nursing staff the availability of the necessary equipment and implants,  reviews the potential need for blood products and their availability and makes sure that the essential imaging is displayed.

Before the skin incision is made the surgeon should initiate the surgical timeout and should involve all members of the nursing, anaesthesia and surgical team.  The time out should at a minimum confirm:

1. Patient identity
2. Surgical site
3. Procedure
4. Consent
5. Patients allergy status
6. Antibiotic prophylaxis

The checklist is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather a minimum of issues that need to be reviewed.  Modifications and additions to fit local practice may be necessary.