Volume 6 | No. 2 | Mar / Apr 2018

Surgeries over six hours need to be reported

Non-Hospital Medical and Surgical Facilities Accreditation Program update

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Starting April 15, 2018, in accordance with the College Bylaws, medical directors will be required to notify the Non-Hospital Medical and Surgical Facilities Accreditation Program (NHMSFAP) Committee within 24 hours of becoming aware of any surgery with an overall duration of greater than six hours, as well as complete and submit a Reportable Incident Form within 14 days.

Following a literature review about the effects of length of surgery on the incidence of adverse events, the NHMSFAP Committee directed that the overall duration of surgery, defined as skin-to-skin time, in the non-hospital setting be limited to six hours. The committee further directed that any surgery with an overall duration of greater than six hours be considered a patient safety incident requiring mandatory reporting. The Reportable Incident Form can be found here.