IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 831 

To support the goals of an annual National Time-Out Day to promote 

patient safety and optimal outcomes in the operating room. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2006 

Ms. KAPTUR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

To support the goals of an annual National Time-Out Day 

to promote patient safety and optimal outcomes in the 

operating room. 

Whereas, according to an Institute of Medicine (‘‘IOM’’) report entitled ‘‘To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health 

System’’, published in 2000, between 44,000 and 98,000 

hospitalized people in the United States die each year 

due to medical errors, and untold thousands more suffer 

injury or illness as a result of preventable errors; 

Whereas the IOM report recommends the establishment of a 

national goal of reducing the number of medical errors by 

50 percent over 5 years; 

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

procedures and 31,000,000 outpatient surgery procedures 

performed annually in the United States; 


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•HRES 831 IH 

Whereas it is the right of every patient to receive the highest 

quality of care in all surgical settings; 

Whereas a patient is the most vulnerable and unable to make 

decisions on their own behalf during a surgical or 

invasive procedure due to anesthesia or other sedation; 

Whereas improved communication among the surgical team 

and a reduction in medical errors in the operating room 

are essential for optimal outcomes during operative or 

other invasive procedures; 

Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, 

the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the American College of Surgeons, and the 

American Society for Healthcare Risk Management celebrated a National Time-Out Day on June 23, 2004, to 

promote the adoption of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ Universal Protocol for preventing wrong site surgery errors in U.S. operating rooms; 

Whereas the United States Senate during the 109th Congress 

supported a National Time-Out Day in 2005 on behalf 

of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, 

the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the American College of Surgeons, and the 

American Society for Healthcare Risk Management to 

promote the adoption of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ universal protocol for preventing errors in the operating room; 

Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, 

joined by coalition partners, celebrated a National TimeOut Day on June 22, 2005, for the purpose of promoting 

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•HRES 831 IH 

tion of periOperative Registered Nurses distributed ‘‘Safe 

Medication Administration Tool Kits’’ to more than 

5,000 hospitals and 13,000 nurse managers or educators; 

Whereas the 109th Congress passed the Patient Safety and 

Quality Improvement Act of 2005 to provide for the improvement of patient safety and to reduce the incidence 

of events that adversely affect patient safety; 

Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses 

develops and issues with coalition partners universally-accepted authoritative statements, recommended guidelines, 

best practice guidelines, and competency statements for 

how to provide optimal care for patients in the operating 

room, and there is nationally-focused attention on improving patient safety in all healthcare facilities through 

the reduction of medical errors; 

Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, 

the recognized leader in patient safety in the operating 

room, promotes the highest quality of patient care during 

all operative or invasive procedures; and 

Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses 

will designate and celebrate National Time Out Day on 

June 21, 2006, and each third Wednesday of June thereafter to promote patient safety and optimal outcomes in 

the operating room by focusing on the reduction of medical errors, fostering better communication among the 

members of the surgical team, and collaborating with coalition partners to establish universal protocols to increase quality and safety for surgical patients: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 831 IH 

1 (1) supports the goals and ideal of an annual 

2 National Time Out Day as designated by the Asso3 ciation of periOperative Registered Nurses for ensur4 ing patient safety and optimal outcomes in the oper5 ating room; and 

6 (2) congratulates perioperative nurses and rep7 resentatives of surgical teams for working together 

8 to protect patient safety during all operative and 

9 other invasive procedures. 

Æ 


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