Why should institutions be concerned with how their neighboring hospitals and surgicenters are marking their patients?
Experts in the field of medical safety as well as experts in other industries concerned with safety (such as aviation) note that, where possible, standardization across the entire industry decreases errors. It is the belief of JCAHO that since physicians, nurses and anesthesiologists can work in multiple institutions, that medical errors and wrong site surgeries can be reduced if the marking process is consistent not just within an organization but also across organizations which are within the same geographic region. “I wholeheartedly agree with (the) premise that site markings should be consistent across institutions. This is something the joint commission advocates.” Richard J. Croteau, M.D., Executive Director for Patient Safety Initiatives, Joint Commission, International Center for Patient Safety, 10/24/05. “Consideration should be given to aligning the site marking procedures with those of other surgical facilities in the same geographic area, since surgeons are frequently on mu
