Question

All of the following are shared responsibilities of the scrub person and RN circulator except:

a) assess all supplies, instruments, and equipment are complete, intact, and functioning properly prior to patient admitted into the procedure room
b) complete a preoperative assessment by reviewing the patient's chart and receiving handoff from the preoperative nurse
c) verify all instruments, basins, and supplies have met appropriate sterility parameters prior to the procedure
d) verify all supplies are present for the procedure that is on the surgeon's preference list/card

Answer 1

The responsibility that is not shared between the scrub person and RN circulator is completing a preoperative assessment by reviewing the patient's chart, which is the sole duty of the RN circulator. Other tasks such as verifying sterility and supplies are shared responsibilities.

Step-by-step explanation:

The shared responsibilities of the scrub person and RN circulator in a surgical setting typically involve a number of important tasks to ensure the safety and success of the procedure. However, one responsibility that is not shared is 'b) complete a preoperative assessment by reviewing the patient's chart and receiving handoff from the preoperative nurse'. This task is generally the sole responsibility of the RN circulator. The other listed tasks, such as assessing that all supplies and instruments are functioning and sterile, and verifying that the supplies match the surgeon's preference, are indeed shared responsibilities.

The circulator and scrub person work together to confirm the patient's identity, the correct surgical site and procedure, and that the needle, sponge, and instrument counts are complete. They also ensure that prophylactic antibiotics have been administered appropriately before incision if required. All this information is reviewed and verified aloud with the surgical team during a 'time out' before the procedure begins.