Patient Safety Update: Patient Safety Primer Examines Wrong-Site, Wrong-Procedure, Wrong-Patient Errors

Patient Safety Update: Patient Safety Primer Examines Wrong-Site, Wrong-Procedure, Wrong-Patient Errors

Patient Safety Update: Patient Safety Primer Examines Wrong-Site, Wrong-Procedure, Wrong-Patient Errors

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sent this bulletin at 06/14/2013 02:04 PM EDT

Communications issues are a prominent underlying factor for “wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient errors,” according to a patient safety primer available on AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet). Better communication in the form of “timeout” discussions before the medical team begins a procedure, surgical safety checklists, and site marking have been shown to improve surgical safety. To prevent such errors, the primer notes that one must combine these system solutions with strong teamwork and safety culture, and personal vigilance.

To access the full patient safety primer, titled Wrong-Site, Wrong-Procedure, Wrong-Patient Surgery, go to: http://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer.aspx?primerID=18