Surgical Errors in Virginia: Can They Be Prevented?

Rates of surgcal errors are increasing. In a study published in October in the Archives of Surgery, Denver researchers analyzed 27,370 physician-reported adverse events from the Colorado Physician Insurance Company database. The scientists found that the number of wrong-patient procedures of wrong-site surgeries had increased between 2002 and 2007. Twenty percent of these incidents caused significant harm to patients.

It is estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year in U.S. hospitals from preventable medical errors. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that there is an easy way to reduce surgical errors and hospital mistakes – comprehensive surgical checklists.

In the study, researchers in the Netherlands measured the impact that a comprehensive checklist had on surgical safety in six hospitals. The authors assessed the surgical outcomes in almost 4,000 patients. They found that surgical complications were reduced to 10.6 percent from 15.4 percent after the checklists were implemented in the hospitals.

Surgical checklists are not a new idea. In 2004, the Joint Commission, a non-profit agency that accredits health care organizations and health care programs, created the Universal Protocol. This global checklist includes safety guidelines such as a sign-in, the recognition of the surgery site, and a time-out to be done before, during and after surgery.

The World Health Organization's Global Patient Safety Challenge created the WHO "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" Checklist. The checklist includes procedural safety questions that are asked before the patient is given anesthesia, before the first skin incision, and before the patient leaves the operating room. A 2009 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that these safety guidelines reduced complications, surgical errors, and death from surgical procedures by more than 30 percent.

Even with safeguards, hospitals and surgeons can make mistakes. Patients can help prevent mistakes by asking questions and speaking up if something seems wrong.

Norfolk attorney Lawrence Land helps victims of Virginia medical malpractice to collect fair compensation for their injuries, pain and other losses. If you or a loved one is a victim of a surgical error, contact Lawrence Land at 757-251-0198.
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To learn more about personal injury and medical malpractice, download Mr. Land’s free book, “5 Deadly Sins That Can Destroy Your Injury Claim.”