2 2 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5
T
he number of reported incidents of wrong-site surgery has
increased since implementation of the Universal Protocol, though
experts believe that might be due to better reporting, not neces-
sarily more errors. But because these incidents are being report-
ed, it's obvious this "never event" still occurs. Here are 5 things
you need to know about why surgeons continue to operate in the wrong place
and what you can do you make sure it doesn't happen on your watch.
1. Human error is to blame
When it comes to wrong-site surgery — and to a larger extent, any patient safety
event — health care tends to rely on humans to prevent the problem.
Truths
About
Wrong-Site
Surgery
In order to prevent the "never event," you need to understand
what's causing it.
Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM | Baltimore, Md.
z LEAVING THEIR MARK The optimal
site marking is the one that all of your
clinicians can agree on and commit to use.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
