IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 150

Recognizing the goals and ideals of a National Time Out Day to support 

the universal protocol, developed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, for preventing errors in the operating 

room, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 10, 2005

Mr. UDALL of Colorado submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the goals and ideals of a National Time Out 

Day to support the universal protocol, developed by the 

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, for preventing errors in the operating room, 

and for other purposes.

Whereas, according to an Institute of Medicine report entitled 

‘‘To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System’’, 

published in 2000, between 44,000 and 98,000 hospitalized individuals in the United States die each year due 

to medical errors, and an untold thousands more suffer 

injury or illness as a result of preventable errors; 

Whereas there are more than 40,000,000 inpatient surgery 

procedures and 31,000,000 outpatient surgery procedures 

performed annually in the United States; 
2

•HRES 150 IH 

Whereas for the first time, nurses, surgeons, and hospitals 

throughout the country are being required by the Joint 

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to adopt a common set of operating room procedures in order to help curb the alarming number of 

deaths and injuries due to medical errors; 

Whereas the Joint Commission on Accreditation of 

Healthcare Organizations has developed a universal protocol which calls for surgical teams to call a ‘‘time out’’ 

before surgeries begin in order to verify the patient’s 

identity, the procedure to be performed, and the site of 

the procedure, and this protocol has been endorsed by 

over 50 national healthcare organizations; 

Whereas 4,579 accredited hospitals, 1,261 ambulatory care 

facilities, and 131 accredited office-based surgery centers 

were required by the Joint Commission on Accreditation 

of Healthcare Organizations to adopt the universal protocol effective July 1, 2004; 

Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses 

has created an Internet website and distributed 55,000 

tool kits to healthcare professionals throughout the country to assist them in implementing the universal protocol; 

and 

Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, 

the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Hospital 

Association, and the American Society for Healthcare 

Risk Management are celebrating National Time Out 

Day on June 22, 2005, to support the universal protocol 

of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare 
3

•HRES 150 IH 

Organization for preventing errors in the operating room: 

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) recognizes the goals and ideals of a Na3 tional Time Out Day, as designated by the Associa4 tion of periOperative Registered Nurses and en5 dorsed by the American College of Surgeons, the 

6 American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American 

7 Hospital Association, and the American Society for 

8 Healthcare Risk Management, to support a universal 

9 protocol for preventing errors in the operating room 

10 by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of 

11 Healthcare Organizations; and 

12 (2) congratulates perioperative nurses and rep13 resentatives of surgical teams for working together 

14 to reduce medical errors and to ensure the improved 

15 health and safety of surgical patients.

Æ