How can physicians combat surgical errors?

All surgical operations have risks. However, no surgical operation should come with the risk of errors or mistakes. According to the National Library of Medicine, medical errors are a serious public health hazard and a leading cause of death.

Recognizing safety challenges in the medical field can help prevent devastating mistakes.

What are the common hospital errors?

There are two common errors, including omission errors and commission errors. An error of omission results when a medical professional does not take the appropriate action. For example, if a doctor does not strap a patient to a gurney properly and falls and suffers injuries, this is an error of omission. On the other hand, a mistake of commission includes the wrong action taken. For example, if a surgeon operates on the wrong body part or administers a medication the patient has allergies to, this is an error of commission.

How can physicians prevent surgical errors?

If physicians want to prevent surgical errors, they have to take accountability and consider what elements lead to surgical errors. Physicians need to consider safety risks and other dangers before the operation. Communication between the team and the physician and the patient should remain clear. Before an operation, there should be a tight schedule and game plan in place. The doctors should double-check to ensure that they operate on the right body part and have all of the correct medications and dosages.

Surgical errors can result in death or disability. It is the hospital’s obligation to ensure that medical errors do not occur by taking the proper precautions in advance.