Medical Auditing Practice Exam

What role do surgical assistants typically play concerning operative notes?

1. They are primary authors of operative notes

2. They assist but do not submit operative notes

3. They review and approve operative notes

4. They are responsible for patient consent documentation

The correct answer is: They assist but do not submit operative notes

Surgical assistants generally play a supportive role in the creation of operative notes. Their primary function is to assist the surgeon during surgical procedures, contributing valuable assistance and ensuring the operation runs smoothly. While they help in collecting information during surgery and may document specific details, they typically do not submit the operative notes themselves. Instead, the primary author of the operative note is usually the surgeon, who holds the responsibility for the comprehensive documentation of the procedure performed, the findings, and any pertinent notes. This highlights the surgical assistant's role as one of support rather than authorship or official documentation. Their involvement ensures that the necessary information for the operative notes is accurately captured, but they do not take on the final responsibility of submitting the notes.