By Mashum Mollah
One surgical error can cost a human life. And this is the reason medical surgeons especially take precautions to minimize the accidental chances of making surgical errors. When you are going to survey the surgical error reports, you will see five to ten surgical errors are occurring daily in the United States.
Surgical complications and errors or incidents can result in permanent injury and internal infection, even increasing medical costs. The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the Surgical Safety Checklist to minimize the chances of surgical errors in 2009.
A patient safety tool that was designed to improve safety and reduce the incidence of surgical errors and complications. Since its introduction, scientific evidence has supported the use of checklists as a component of patient care. Earlier this year, an “Annals of Surgery” study supported the implementation of the Surgical Patient Safety System (SURPASS) checklist.
The Evaluation Of Surgical Checklists
In the April 2021 edition of the “Annals of Surgery,” Dr. Eefje N. de Vries of the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, along with a Mount Vernon personal injury lawyer, reviewed medical malpractice law firm claim data from 294 insurance claims filed between 2017 and 2018. These researchers found that if the SURPASS checklist have been utilized, 40 percent of deaths and 29 percent of incidents leading to permanent damage could have been prevented.
In another study, Dr. de Vries also evaluated thousands of cases pre-and post-implementation of the checklist. Reviewing data from several hospitals from 2017 to 2019, the researchers also confirmed that post-implementation, surgical errors and complications dramatically declined.
SURPASS, an 18-page checklist collects more than just patient data and covers a process other than just surgery. The comprehensive inventory includes notations of complications, location-specific tasks, medical personnel-specific completion percentages, and questions that cover staff as well as patient interactions. When reviewing claims involving deaths, the researchers found that at least 29 percent of the contributing factors were addressed in the comprehensive tool.
How Surgical Checklist Minimize The Surgical Errors?
The health care department reform has taken a sideline to the national debt. Health care costs are still a significant issue. Medical liability costs the nation more than $55 billion annually-2.4 percent of the health care spending.
During the course of evaluating the medical needs of a patient, surgery is generally a last resort. Still, surgery is often the only procedure that can alleviate disabilities, repair injuries, and reduce the risk of death; however, medical-surgical errors can result in complications worse than those the guidelines are intended to prevent.
Tens of thousands of Americans die annually as a result of medical errors. Surgical interventions are standard medical therapy that can increase risks for medical errors. Medical professionals and facilities can implement protocols, such as SURPASS, that reduce the possibility of human mistakes and control the cost of health care.
Check List Is Improving Communication
The surgical errors are directly linked with morbidity and the human mortality rate. The surgeons and the medical professionals do prepare the list according to the surgery necessary items. The communications between the medical departments, pharmaceuticals, and the OR are becoming more smooth and professional.
The medical professionals clearly know what type of medicines are now available in the Pharmaceuticals and what types of equipment are now available for the patients.
Communication during the surgery is essential. For miscommunications, the chances of surgical error are huge. When you are preparing the checklist according to the list, you will know what types of medicines and equipment you are going to need.
And most importantly, you will know the individual behaviors of your teammates and their surgery history. This is the easiest and most constructive way to improve the communications between you and your teammates.
Conclusion:
The surgical errors and the post-surgery complications are causing huge trouble. Even a human life can be at stake for these types of complications. Communication during surgery is another essential factor in minimizing surgical errors.
This is why, along with the surgical equipment, collaboration with the team is also essential to improve the communication level between you and your teammates. One surgery is going to need total concentration and cooperation between the different sections. One miscommunication can have deadly circumstances.
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