A recent study revealed that post-operative mistakes are disturbingly common. U.K. researchers examined 659 days of post-surgical care and found 256 mistakes. Even more troubling, these errors caused harm to the patient most of the time (51 percent). The ground-breaking study was published in the Annals of Surgery.
The research is interesting because it focuses on the post-operative care of patients. Nearly all existing surgery-related studies focus on what happens in the operation room itself, but a patient’s post-operative care is crucial, too.
Medication errors accounted for a large share of the errors, and they came in a variety of forms:
- Dosage errors
- Administering the wrong drugs
- Administering drugs incorrectly (orally, intravenously)
- Providing patients with incorrect medication directions
Other post-surgery mistakes uncovered in the research include inaccurate test results, diagnosis errors, mistakes involving lines, drains or tubes, and decisions concerning pain management.
If you or a loved one has been seriously harmed by a surgical error, contact an experienced Michigan medical malpractice lawyer.
McKeen & Associates, PC, is a Detroit-based medical malpractice law firm with a national presence. We’ve helped patients and families throughout the country after serious surgeon errors.
Source: AboutLawsuits.com, “Post-Operative Surgical Mistakes Common: Study,” Irvin Jackson, Oct. 23, 2012
