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Why do wrong-site medical errors happen?

On Behalf of | Dec 2, 2021 | Medical Malpractice

Although rare, an operation may be performed on the wrong part of a person’s body or even on the wrong person. This is referred to as wrong-site surgery. If this happens, no only is the patient’s original medical issue not fixed, they now have a completely new problem to deal with. Not only that, any type of surgery is inherently dangerous and may lead to serious injuries, infection, even death.

How does a surgical mistake occur?

Many surgeons and those associated with them simply believe that their practice is good and conscientious. They think mishaps won’t happen to them, so they don’t take the necessary precautions.

Wrong-site surgeries are considered the worst type of medical malpractice errors. Over 40% of patients involved in wrong-site surgeries suffer serious consequences, so even though the act may have been unintended, adverse actions still occurred.

Don’t think that just because you may have an experienced surgeon, you won’t be a victim of wrong-site surgery; these errors are more common in older surgeons than in younger ones. Certain specialties are more prone than others to this problem. According to the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Spine, 25% of surgeries within that specialty are subject to wrong-site procedures.

Note that wrong-site surgeries don’t always occur because of surgeons. Sometimes, support personnel is at fault. Mistakes can occur when surgeries are scheduled, when reports are written or when patients are wheeled into operating theaters.

Who is responsible for injuries?

This question is often complicated as discovering who is responsible for medical problems is sometimes obscure. Finding out who is ultimately responsible for medical injuries is crucial to getting extra medical expenses and other losses compensated.

Doctors, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, radiology and lab technicians, hospitals and clinics, urgent care centers, and emergency rooms could be at fault. Make sure you thoroughly investigate where the problem happened before assigning blame in a potential lawsuit.

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