title: Surgical count process: evidence for patient safety.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the surgical count process according to reports of nurses working in surgical centers of a city in the state of São Paulo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study with a sample of 55 nurses. Data collection occurred from August to December 2013, with application of an instrument submitted to face and content validation, composed of data on variables regarding characteristics of nurses, hospital, and surgical count process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-two (94.5%) nurses reported that the surgical count process was carried out in their workplaces. A statistically significant association was found between the surgical count process and the type of institution (P=0.046), and between the presence of a surgical technologist and the processes for counting surgical instruments (P<0.001) and sponges (P=0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results found contributed to understand how, by whom, and when the surgical count process was carried out in the studied hospital.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL), Escola de Enfermagem. Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Scotini
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto. Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Karina Dal Sasso
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto. Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Cristina Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Galvão
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D061214:Patient Safety; D013525:Surgical Instruments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*