The American College of Surgeons publishes manual on surgical patient safety

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has announced the publication of its new manual Surgical Patient Safety: Essential Information for Surgeons in Today's Environment. Edited by Barry M. Manuel, MD, FACS, and Paul F. Nora, MD, FACS, the manual is intended to provide guidance and leadership in evolving areas of patient safety in the surgical profession.

The 200-page publication describes a variety of practical resources and provides a broad overview of key issues, such as the scientific basis of surgical patient safety-specifically human factors and systems analyses-and the processes affecting surgical patient safety such as decision support; electronic prescribing; and error detection, analysis, and reporting. Legal challenges for surgeon participation in patient safety activities are also reviewed. Furthermore, strategies for preventing wrong-site surgery, safe implementation of blood and blood components, and patient safety in trauma care are addressed, as are broader error prevention methods such as the use of surgical simulation, educational interventions, and quality improvement initiatives.

The manual is available to members of the College and to anyone interested in the topic of patient safety. Orders may be placed online through the College's Publications and Services Catalog at http://www.facs.org/commerce/2004/catsplash.html.