Reasons to Use a Checklist During the Time Out

AORN supports National Time Out Day—an initiative on the second Wednesday in June highlighting the importance of the surgical time out.1 A standardized time-out process reduces the risk of wrong-site surgeries through verification of the correct patient, surgical site, and procedure.2 Team members can improve the time out’s effectiveness by using a standardized surgical safety checklist (SSC).2 The use of an SSC reduces the likelihood of surgical errors by outlining which critical information needs to be addressed.2 Teams that use SSCs report fewer patient complications and reduced patient mortality rates.2 AORN members have access to an SSC as part of their benefits.3 The checklist was updated in 2025.3 Figure 1.The time-out portion of the AORN Comprehensive Surgical Checklist. Adapted from the AORN Comprehensive Surgical Checklist, which was adapted from the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (© World Health Organization, 2009; all rights reserved) and additional content adapted from the Joint Commission (© 2025). The Joint Commission does not stipulate which team member initiates sections of the checklist, except for site marking, nor where these activities occur. See the Universal Protocol for detailed Joint Commission requirements. Used with permission from AORN Inc, 2170 S Parker Road, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80231.