Surgical errors are simply mistakes made during an operation, before the operation or after it has been completed. For example, taking the wrong patient to the surgery may be classified as a surgical error. The same could be said if the surgeon operated on the wrong...
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Surgical Errors
Surgical centers: Not as safe as you may believe
Surgical centers are becoming more common across the United States. These are centers not located inside a hospital but instead on their own. The centers are prepared to work with patients' needs, but they're not there for traumatic emergencies.At surgical centers,...
Don’t expect an apology from your physician: Here’s why
One question that has been coming up more frequently as time goes on is whether or not doctors and hospitals should apologize for making medical errors. People are raised to apologize when they do something wrong. It's called taking responsibility.While patients don't...
Wrong-site surgery: Common causes
A wrong-site surgery is one of the worst mistakes that can be made in medicine. With this error, a patient goes through the struggle of a surgery to end up having no relief from the problem and a new problem created.Sometimes, wrong-site surgeries aren't too serious,...
Surgery: Can it spread cancer?
One common myth about surgeries is that they have a high risk of spreading cancer to other parts of the body. The reality is that the risk is not high, but there is still a risk if the proper protocols are not followed. By following standard procedures during a...
Can a checklist prevent surgical errors?
One of the things medical providers should be doing each time they work with a patient is inputting information into patient charts and using checklists to make sure they have covered every part of a treatment or conversation.For surgeons, a surgical checklist could...
Criticism and a second opinion could help your malpractice case
Carelessness is a serious risk in any surgical or medical setting, but what about talking to patients about another provider's carelessness? It's not always a good idea for medical professionals to speak ill of one another, but for a patient looking to make a case,...
What do surgical errors cost?
When surgeons leave items behind inside patients, there is a high risk that patients can get ill or even die. Sponges and surgical tools can't be left behind; doctors have to take steps to avoid this and protect their patients. Sadly, that doesn't always happen.One...
Protecting yourself against surgical errors
Surgical errors can happen at almost any time, but there are a few good ways that you, as a patient, can protect yourself. Surgical errors, which can range from getting your name wrong when moving you into a surgical ward to leaving a sponge inside you after surgery,...
How long can patients stay in outpatient surgical centers?
As someone who has had surgery in the past, you may recall feeling that you were discharged very quickly. You wanted to know that you were safe and healing before you were discharged, but it seemed that the staff had no desire other than to see you head home soon.Now,...