While medical advances have made great strides in caring for and treating a number of serious and life threatening injuries and diseases, alarming statistics regarding preventable surgical errors seem to counteract the advances being made. Testimony at a recent hearing before Senate subcommittee members indicated that medical mistakes and errors are at an all-time high, resulting in thousands of deaths each day and literally costing the nation billions of dollars. Injuries due to surgical errors are often catastrophic, and have become one of the leading contributors to death in the U.S. While many Americans remain unaware of the threat, the alarming statistics regarding medical mistakes have continued to rise. Protect yourself and your loved ones by knowing the facts about this ongoing health concern, and what you can do to keep from becoming another statistic.
Common Types of Surgical Errors
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Studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health indicate that over 200,000 Americans have died from preventable medical and surgical errors, with millions suffering serious injuries as a result of these errors. Surgical errors range in severity, from minor incidents that go unreported and cause little to no harm to the patient to catastrophic events that involve damage to organs, loss of limbs, and even loss of life. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, common surgical errors typically involve one of the following three issues:
- Wrong site errors: These types of errors occur when a surgeon performs the right procedure, but on the wrong site. For example, a patient needs a procedure performed to his right shoulder, but the surgeon operates on the left shoulder. According to the AHRQ, this type of mistake is surprisingly common.
- Wrong procedure errors: This involves performing the wrong type of procedure than what was medically indicated, for example, performing a bypass on a heart patient when what was needed was angioplasty.
- Wrong patient errors: These errors often result with people having similar last names, or when patient charts get confused. These can be especially dangerous, particularly where one patient gets potentially life-saving treatment that was intended for another.
Surgical errors are commonly known as “never events”. They’re mistakes that should never be allowed to happen in a hospital or physician setting. They indicate carelessness, negligence, and a lack of safety protocols.
Preventing Surgical Errors
Campaign Zero is a non-profit movement to call attention to preventable medical and surgical errors. It provides consumers with safety checklists to follow for choosing doctors, entering the hospital, or having any type of procedure performed. If you are facing an upcoming surgery or medical procedure, follow Campaign Zero’s tips to protect yourself against surgical errors :
- Be sure the doctor or surgeon is experienced in performing your particular procedure.
- Be sure the hospital where you are having your procedure done has a low rate of infection and a good reputation.
- Unless your surgery is an emergency, try to schedule mid-week and avoid holidays.
- Bring a loved one with you to act as your advocate for any pertinent appointments, as well as the day of surgery.
- Confirm details of your procedure with all staff attending to you. Confirm your name, your physician, and the type of procedure you are having done. Direct your loved one in advance to do this for you, in the event you are unable.
Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you or a family member has suffered an injury or loss due to a medical or surgical error, contact an experienced South Carolina personal injury attorney right away. At the office of Lauren Taylor, we have experience successfully handling personal injury cases involving these types of errors. We’ll help you recover damages such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Call us today for an initial consultation.
South Carolina divorce attorney Lauren Taylor practices family law in Charleston and Greenville. She graduated from the Charlotte School of Law, and has been practicing for more than ten years.
Since the firm’s inception in 2012, Mrs. Taylor has helped hundreds of people navigate the uncertainties surrounding the family and criminal court process.
She has cultivated a team that ensures each case has a strategy crafted specifically to the clients needs and desires.
Her commitment to top notch service has led her to open two additional offices in the low country where she now resides with her husband Michael and her golden retriever, Buster.