How To Avoid Wrong Site Surgeries

You must have heard a handful of wrong-site surgery tragedies to know that they are in no way pleasant to deal with. Imagine going to the hospital to get your right leg amputated, but they amputate your left leg instead. The results of wrong-site surgery are devastating for the patient, the physician, and the facility.

Wrong-site surgeries come under the category of medical malpractice. If you have had a similar experience, you should immediately speak to a Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer. Getting treated the wrong way is not a small issue and can threaten your life. The doctor and the facility where you experienced the accident should not get away with their mistake.

Measures to avoid wrong-site surgeries

1. Validate the information before the surgery.

Before the day of the surgery, one hospital staff member should recheck the procedure details and check with the patient. This will ensure the patient points out mistakes, if any, and avoid last-minute panics and delays in the treatment. Many hospitals conduct a telephone interview with the patient to confirm the instructions, so the patient is fully ready for the surgery day. Confirmation is necessary even if the patient is frustrated with repeating their answers.

2. The writing should be clear on all documents.

Unclear writing is one of the reasons why wrong-site surgeries happen. Illegible handwriting, unapproved abbreviations, and crossed-out text can lead to a lack of clarity. Medical offices should make it a strict rule not to use unapproved abbreviations. Additionally, consent documents should be free of cross-outs and have clear language. If consent forms do not meet these criteria, they should be returned.

3. Marking the surgery site on the skin with a marker that will still be visible during the surgery.

The surgery site should be marked with a permanent marker to distinguish between left and right, and several body parts such as toes, fingers, etc. The surgeon should use a marker to mark the correct incision site, his initials, and the word “yes”. The usage of the sign “X” is not encouraged because it is not exactly clear whether to operate or not operate on it.

4. Have “red rules” in place to stop the procedure.

Before the surgery, the staff confirms the surgery with the patient, prepares the documents, and the physician marks the surgery site. If there is any form of hesitation from any member involved in the process, the procedure should come to a halt. The red rule means that anyone on the operation team can stop the procedure if they feel something does not match the standards of practice.

Consult with a medical malpractice lawyer in Philadelphia today.