South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
When a patient undergoes surgery – either under emergency circumstances or in the course of a long-anticipated treatment plan – there is an expectation that the doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists involved are going to use the utmost care and caution.
We all know there are many potential risks associated with surgery, but we do expect our health care providers to minimize those risks to whatever extent possible. But now, a new study published in the journal Anesthesiology reveals that medication errors are happening in about 50 percent of all surgical procedures. This figure, based on results at one prestigious hospital in Massachusetts, is significantly higher than previous estimates.
The American Association of Anesthesiologists, upon recently being presented this information, told the study authors that this significant issue is by no means unique to this location. The lead author recounted to The Washington Post that there was “not a lot of surprise” because it was widely-accepted that the self-reported numbers of medication errors during surgery were far too low. However, there was some dismay at the fact that the figure was so high, even as industry experts conceded it’s likely at least as high if not more excessive in other hospitals. Continue reading →