Causes of a Wrong Side Surgery Error

When a surgery is performed on the wrong side or site of a human body, it results in surgery errors or surgical errors that could cause serious injuries and even deaths on the person(s) on whom it was performed. It also includes such invasive procedures that put the patients to more than minimal risk. These procedures could have taken place in settings other than in an operating room (e.g. endoscopy, radiology etc).

Despite the fact that it is of great concern for the medical fraternity, there was not a formal system of such errors until 1999 when the Joint Commission on Accreditation's of Health Care Organizations, now known as Joint Commission was established. These cases since then have been reported to it, but since such reporting is voluntary in nature, the incidence is under reported (by about only 10%) and none has a correct estimate of its occurrences. What however is known is that maximum WSS takes place in eye and orthopedic surgeries

Surgeons Doing Wrong Side Surgery

Wrong Side/Site surgeries have serious negative impacts on the career of surgeons for the State Licensure boards that impose heavy penalties on them and a section of insurers do not also pay the providers for WSS. Such surgeries are also covered under malpractice claims and according to the statistics of Joint Commission, close to 79% in eye and 84% in orthopedic claims resulted  in malpractices awards respectively.

Causes of Wrong Side Surgery

The Joint Commission has identified a number of causes for WSS and some of them are described below:

• Inadequate institutional controls to verify the right site of surgery arising out of insufficiencies in patients' assessment.
• Failure to prepare a checklist in order to ensure that all the checks have been performed arising out of inadequate review of medical records
• Arbitrary decisions in the choice of constituting a surgical team and reliance on a single surgeon in determining the site of surgery resulting in negligence in the care given to the patients.
• There are host of other reasons and to cut it short, it is suffice to state that the causes result in multiple wrong procedures that results in the WSS errors.

Seeking Legal Compliance

It may be concluded that WSS has always been a contentious and concealed issue because of the fear of health care organizations being ostrized and the scope for litigation increasing. While some hold that WSS in absolute numbers are not so high warranting serious actions (despite the fact that everyone knows that is under reported), yet, when considered from the adverse consequences it brings on the affected patients, it is indeed a serious issue that requires compulsory legal compliance and greater action by those who are responsible to ensure delivery of a good health care system.