News - Local
Study: Despite rules, surgery mistakes continuing
Posted: Oct 18, 2010 2:26 PM by Associated Press
Updated: Oct 18, 2010 2:27 PM
U.S. hospitals enacted rules in 2004 to end surgical mistakes. But a new study says doctors are still reporting operations performed on the wrong body parts and even the wrong people.
The study published in the Archives of Surgery looked at a database of errors that doctors reported to the Colorado Physician Insurance Co. between Jan. 1, 2002, and June 1, 2008. Of the 27,370 incidents in the database, the study found 25 surgeries were performed on the wrong patient and 107 operations were on the wrong body part.
The study says some errors resulted when laboratory samples were mixed up.
Doctors say that shows there needs to be a culture of patient safety throughout the medical system.
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