Which action should be taken during the 'time-out' procedure?

The 'time-out' procedure is a critical safety measure conducted before the start of any surgical or procedure-related interventions. During this step, the healthcare team gathers to confirm essential details about the patient and the planned procedure. This includes verifying the patient's identity, the type of procedure being performed, the correct side of the body for any surgical intervention, and ensuring that all necessary equipment and personnel are in place.

Verifying patient details is vital as it helps to prevent errors such as wrong-site surgery, wrong-patient procedures, or incorrect surgical interventions. This step emphasizes the importance of clear communication among the surgical team and reinforces patient safety protocols.

In contrast, preparing anesthetics, announcing surgery times, and counting surgical instruments, while important tasks in their own right, are not the primary focus of the 'time-out' procedure. Instead, they may occur at different stages of the surgical process, but they do not directly align with the goals of the time-out, which centers on confirming key information to safeguard the patient's wellbeing.