This is how one doctor’s slightly ‘awkward’ decision to scrawl his name and profession across his forehead, changed safety in medicine across the world.
Dr Rob Hackett, a Sydney based anaesthetist, decided to write his name and profession on his scrub cap to avoid mix-ups in the operating theatre.
‘There were some side remarks, like “can’t you remember your name?”‘ Dr Hackett said.
Six months since he first emblazoned his name and profession on his forehead, Dr Hackett revealed the idea had been embraced by surgical staff internationally.
Dr Rob Hackett (pictured), a Sydney based anaesthetist, decided to write his name and profession on his scrub cap to avoid mix-ups in the operating theatre
He said the idea, however small, reduced the chance of delays and miss-identification between colleagues wearing surgical scrubs in the operating room.
Dr Hackett said surgical staff often had their faces almost entirely obscured by scrubs and face masks.
He said the name tags prevented embarrassing situations.
‘When you work across four or five hospitals and with hundreds of people, I’d say 75 per cent of staff I walk past I don’t know their name. It’s quite awkward,’ Dr Hackett told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Alison Brindle (pictured), a UK student midwife, created the hashtag #TheatreCapChallenge
Dr Hackett (bottom centre) said surgical staff often had their faces almost entirely obscured by scrubs and face masks – and the name tags prevented delay
‘When you work across four or five hospitals and with hundreds of people, I’d say 75 per cent of staff I walk past I don’t know their name. It’s quite awkward,’ Dr Hackett said
‘Last Friday I went to a cardiac arrest in a theatre where there were about 20 people in the room. I struggled to even ask to be passed some gloves because the person I was pointing to thought I was pointing to the person behind them.’
Most importantly, Dr Hackett said the name tags helped clinicians out in often-critical moments.
The anaesthetist said precious time was often lost when clinicians couldn’t remember the names of other people in the operating room.
He also recalled incidents where medical students were mistaken for qualified surgeons, and asked to do something they weren’t qualified to do.
The anaesthetist said precious time was often lost when clinicians couldn’t remember the names of other people in the operating room (surgical staff pictured embracing the Theatre Cap Challenge
Since he started the movement, Dr Hackett said medical staff across the world had shared photos online showing their name and profession scrawled across their foreheads.
Medical staff, from surgeons to nurses and midwives, have taken to social media to share photos of themselves embracing the name tags.
The photos grew so popular the hashtag #TheatreCapChallenge was born.
Surgical staff from across Australia, the UK, US, South America and Europe have all embraced the challenge.
Medical staff, from surgeons to nurses and other anaesthetists, have taken to social media to share photos of themselves embracing the name tags