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Surgeons<\/strong> employ a technique which woodworkers<\/strong> would do well do borrow.<\/p>\n Immediately prior to starting an operation, all action stops<\/strong> and the entire surgical team participates in a “time out.”<\/strong> Everyone takes a fresh look<\/strong>\u00a0 – a figurative step back<\/strong> – and makes sure all details have been attended to<\/strong>. This includes\u00a0<\/strong>technical matters such as physiologic indices and medications, but also seemingly obvious things<\/strong> such as patient identity, the procedure to be performed, consent, laterality, and operation site.<\/p>\n In other words, there is a deliberate break in the workflow to ground the situation<\/strong> – to stop and create clarity.<\/strong> No removing the wrong kidney from the wrong person.<\/p>\n A woodworker<\/strong> with a stack of boards ready to mill, or a set of mortises or dovetails to cut, is in a similar situation, ready to move into the next phase of a project. At the outset of the procedure, you must make plainly clear to yourself:<\/strong><\/p>\n If all of this seems just too obvious, let each of us recall his last forehead slap<\/strong> after a costly mistake performing a no-brainer procedure . . . let’s see . . .oh yea, that one . . . I’m done. OK, now we can talk.<\/p>\n Here’s an example.<\/strong> Imagine you are at the jointer and planer with a stack of boards. Stop. Time out.<\/strong> Name the task. Be more precise than just intending to dress the boards to 3\/4″. Think, <\/strong>for example, that it is OK to be 1\/64+” fat, but not OK to go under 3\/4″, and minimizing tearout would save a lot of hand planing later. Since this is curly maple, the passes need to be thinner than usual. And oh yea,<\/strong> one piece needs to stop at 7\/8″, so that one is marked and separated.<\/p>\n Is the machinery ready:<\/strong> jointer depth, guard in place, outfeed plan, and dust collection hooked up? Are all the boards oriented and properly marked as to face and end? Is this safe<\/a> – what is my hand and pushing device procedure all the way through?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n