Abstract
Law, ethics and concern for patient safety in the operating room are important considerations of the operating team, i.e., nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Meaningless rituals observed in the operating room (OR) must be replaced by practices and procedures based on sound principles of medical ethics. Modern technology and medical advances relieve the surgeon and anesthesiologist of many of the manual tasks, but have not completely solved the problems of ethics in the operating suite. Apathy, carelessness and indifference may be a more formidable dilemma unless curbed by moral, ethical and legal constraints. Operating room policies and procedures need constant review and reexamination. To maintain good medical ethics, enforcement of these policies and rules requires the cooperation of all who enter the OR suite. Recommendations are suggested to guide ethical behavior as it relates to the disclosure of the patient’s information in the operating room.
