What is a Surgery Pass?
Based on the available evidence, a "surgery pass" does not appear to be a standardized medical term or recognized concept in surgical practice guidelines or literature. The term does not appear in any major surgical guidelines, perioperative care protocols, or patient safety frameworks reviewed 1.
Possible Interpretations
The term you're asking about may refer to one of several concepts in surgical practice:
Patient Handoff Tools
- The I-PASS handoff system is a validated communication tool used during transitions of care in surgical settings, which includes: Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situation awareness/contingency planning, and Synthesis by receiver 2, 3, 4.
- I-PASS has been adapted for orthopedic surgery and shown to improve handoff quality and reduce communication errors, with sustained adherence rates among providers 3, 4.
- The tool accompanies patients through care transitions and is completed by different team members, though it is a handoff protocol rather than a "pass" document 5, 2.
Surgical Pathway Checklists
- The SURPASS (SURgical PAtient Safety System) checklist is a validated multidisciplinary tool that accompanies patients through each step of the surgical pathway, covering 96% of process deviations suitable for checklist assessment 5.
- This checklist is completed by different team members at various stages but is not referred to as a "surgery pass" 5.
Preoperative Assessment Documentation
- Comprehensive preoperative assessment forms document patient condition, comorbidities, and surgical procedures, with written or electronic records kept in the patient's medical record 1.
- These assessment tools help plan procedures and anticipate complications but are not termed "passes" 1.
Common Pitfall
- Avoid confusing informal terminology with standardized protocols - if "surgery pass" is used colloquially at your institution, clarify what specific document or process it refers to, as this is not universal medical terminology 1, 5.
If you can provide additional context about where you encountered this term or what specific document/process you're referring to, I can offer more targeted guidance.