SAFE ACCOUNT Campaign
Minnesota Hospital Association is conducting "SAFE ACCOUNT," a statewide campaign focusing on counting and accounting for surgical items used in the operating room in an effort to prevent them from being unintentionally left behind in patients.

Following are resources hospitals are sharing, along with more information about the campaign.
(See SAFE ACCOUNT Resource Tool Kit, bottom of this page.)

General

• Calendar of Event: [DOC]
  
• Roadmap to Preventing Retainable Objects in the O.R.: [PDF]
• Retained Foreign Object Overview Article: [PDF]

Project Tools

• Accounting for Packed Items: [DOC]

Conference presentations

MHA conference calls

• Feb. 9, 2011: [listen]
  
• Aug. 17, 2010: [listen]
  
• Dec. 15, 2009: [listen]
  

Safe Account Campaign Kick-Off, Oct. 27, 2009

• "Welcome and Overview of the SAFE ACCOUNT Initiative," Julie Apold, director of patient safety, Minnesota Hospital Association: [PPT]
• "Learnings from Minnesota - Retained Objects," Diane Rydrych, assistant director, division of health policy, Minnesota Department of Health: [PPT]
• "The ACCOUNT Bundle," Dana Langness, RN, BSN, MA, senior director, perioperative services, Regions Hospital, St. Paul: [PPT]
• "Strategies for Implementing the ACCOUNT Bundle," Carol Hamlin, RN, MSN, director, departmental performance, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, Minneapolis; and Dana Langness, Regions Hospital: [PPT]
• "Technology Adjuncts to Preventing Retained Foreign Objects," Steven Meisel, PharmD, patient safety officer, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis: [PPT]
• "Retained Surgical Sponges, Process Improvement for Patient Safety," Leon Josephs, M.D., chief of surgery, St. Vincents Hospital, Worchester, MA: [PPT]
• "Sponge Accounting Systems," Larry Asplin, RN, MS, CNOR, clinical director surgery, St. Cloud Hospital: [PDF]
• "RFO Prevention: The Mayo Story," James D. Clark, MSN, RN, nursing education specialist; Sarah R. Pool, RN, MS, resource nurse manager; and Cheryl A. Weisbrod, MSN, RN, nurse administrator, surgical services, Mayo Clinic, Rochester: [PPT]