Pioneering Patient Safety in the UK
Ten Thousand Feet Demo Video
This video was created to show the simple use of the Ten Thousand Feet language tool and how it should be used in practise.
The original term for this tool was "Below Ten Thousand" which is why you will hear this term in the video.
More About Ten Thousand Feet
The UK initiative pioneered by Rob Tomlinson has been adapted from two perioperative nurses from a regional hospital in Victoria, Australia.
Pete Smith and John Gibbs innovated this simple, elegant solution to the problem of noise and distraction in the operating room where "Below Ten Thousand" was used as the original signal to all team members. This term has since been modified to "Ten Thousand Feet" for the UK.
The tool brings 'immediate and unquestioned quiet' to any clinical arena.
At any time, anyone working in the theatre who needs to focus their attention at the task in hand can call “Ten Thousand Feet”. This language tool is a signal for everyone in the theatre to stop any but essential conversation. It can be called by anyone, regardless of their place in the hierarchy in the theatre.
Find out more about the origins of this groundbreaking safety initiative here
Ten Thousand Feet is working in collaboration with the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), the leading association in the UK for perioperative practitioners. Working together to support the sustained improvement of patient safety in operating theatres across the UK.
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