Study Shows Improving Surgical Records in VA Hospitals
The rate of surgical errors at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals has declined in the past few years, while the number of "close calls" has increased. A study by the Veterans Health Administration isolated the fields of surgery with the highest surgical error risks as well as common human errors and strategies to improve patient safety.
The VA Surgical Error Study
The study, based on data from 2006 to 2009, included cases from all of the 153 VA medical centers with surgical departments.
The occurrence of incorrect surgical events fell from 3.21 per month to 2.40 per month by 2009. Of the 237 cases examined in the study, 101 involved patients that were harmed while the rest were considered close calls, or when harm could have been inflicted but was narrowly avoided.
The most common surgical errors identified by the study were operating on the wrong patient and performing an incorrect procedure or faulty implant. Wrong-site surgery was the most common mistake.
The study found neurosurgery to have the highest rate of improper events occurring during operations, with ophthalmology having the second highest rate. The most common adverse event in neurosurgery was wrong-site spinal cord operation. Faulty, incorrect lenses most frequently caused problems in ophthalmology.
VA Hospitals' Strategies for Patient Safety
The study cites new training programs, mandatory procedures and improved staff communication as the causes behind the declining rate of errors in VA hospitals.
The authors specifically point to "detailed lessons learned from root cause analyses, rapid notification of adverse events, policy changes . . . and additional focused [staff training]" as reasons behind the lowered numbers.
To prevent future negative events, VA hospitals have focused on standardizing clinical processes and surgical procedures, including requiring staff to confirm and mark the site of spinal cord surgeries.
Other hospitals and surgical departments could potentially lower their own rate of medical error by implementing some of the proven effective programs in place at VA hospitals.
Medical Malpractice in Ohio
In 2009, Ohio residents who recovered compensation in medical malpractice suits received a total of $258,370,436; an average of $322,158 per claim. What is not clear from this statistic is that the number of meritorious claims filed has been decreasing due to the cost of litigation and the increased likelihood that jurors will give a doctor the benefit of the doubt, forcing the patient to prove his or her case to a greater degree.
Also, due to the limits on pain and suffering that can be awarded, the average recovery per claim is misleading in that most injured parties that suffer catastrophic injuries due to medical negligence are undercompensated or receive no compensation. The figure above takes into account all cases and, by past comparison, the awards to patients injured by medical mistakes in Ohio has decreased.
Those who believe that medical malpractice / physician negligence caused injury or the wrongful death of their loved one should contact an experienced Ohio medical malpractice attorney to discuss their options. We are patient safety advocates. We want to make sure that medical care is improved and we are all protected from unnecessary harm. When harm is caused due to fault of another, unrealistic and unfair restrictions on compensation cause further harm to patients and result in a shifting of responsibility from the responsible party to public resources. Let us help you.
