DECEMBER 7, 2018

Workplace Safety Seen Lacking in Freestanding ASCs

Importance of communication, de-escalation highlighted in report about unruly patient

Miami—It’s just another typical day at an ambulatory surgery center, until a situation with an unruly patient upends the order. When this happened at an ASC in Colorado, without the larger security department that comes with a full hospital, team members had to make decisions on the fly.

While staff minimized the situation in question quickly, the event showed the need for a protocol to manage disruptive patients and ensure the safety of patients and staff in potentially violent