A Short “Scrubbing” Prayer as a Potentially Valuable Addition to Preoperative Preparation

Abstract

Surgeon well-being and patient safety remain central priorities in contemporary surgical practice. Many surgeons endorse spirituality-broadly defined-as an important component of personal resilience and professional purpose. We propose a brief moment of private reflective practice, adaptable to diverse belief systems, during the preoperative hand-scrubbing period. This “scrubbing reflection”, which may include silent prayer for those who choose, could promote focused attention, reduce stress, and cognitively reinforce essential information such as patient identity, diagnosis, and the planned procedure. As this pause occurs during an already standard process, it adds no operational delay while potentially supporting improved human performance and surgical safety. This perspective encourages consideration of simple, voluntary practices that may strengthen both caregiver well-being and patient protection.