Engaging the Patient and Family in the Surgical Safety Process Utilizing SafeStart

Abstract Background Due to the vulnerable nature of children, parental/caregiver engagement in surgical safety is a crucial aspect of care. Historically, the surgical safety process has been isolated from parent involvement. The digital, tablet-based surgical safety application, SafeStart, requires parent participation and provides multiple instances of verification of patient safety information from pre-operative clinic visit, to peri-operative care, and into the operating room. Method The SafeStart application was utilized for 100 pediatric general surgery patients in an IRB approved prospective study. Parent assessments of the surgical consent and safety processes were collected in pre- and post-operative surveys with a 100% response rate. Standard consent forms were used and compared as a control. Results Only 31% of parents had knowledge of the surgical safety checklist process prior to their exposure to the study. 96% of the parents reported that the SafeStart patient portal was easy to use. A majority would prefer SafeStart to the standard consent process. Conclusion The SafeStart program connected the surgical safety process from the pre-operative clinic visit through post-operative care. Parent's preferred SafeStart to the standard surgical safety checklist and consent process, felt that they were instrumental in protecting their child's safety, and would recommend SafeStart for the surgical care of others. Level of Evidence II