Surgical mistakes can have devastating consequences for patients in Michigan and around the country. When a surgeon lacks skill or is negligent in their practice, a patient’s serious medical condition could be left uncorrected. Surgical mistakes can also cause a variety of new medical issues that require further treatment.
Here are three of the most common reasons for surgical errors.
#1: They didn’t prepare ahead of the surgery
The actual surgery is just the final step in a medical treatment process that begins with a correct diagnosis. By the time the day of surgery arrives, surgeons should be prepared for the procedure and for everything that could possibly go wrong. Equipment that will be needed for the surgery should be available and easy to reach. Surgeons should also have developed an excellent communication system with the other medical professionals that will be in the room with them.
#2: They failed to learn the patient’s full medical history
Every patient is different, so there is really no such thing as a “routine” surgery. When a surgeon fails to fully understand a patient’s medical history and unique body, this can cause problems in the operating room. Some medical conditions require longer postoperative healing or even a different bed position during the operation.
The unique shape of each patient’s body is also a factor in surgeries. That’s because the poor positioning of a patient’s body during surgery can cause doctors to make more surgical mistakes. Surgeons need to understand good body positioning before beginning surgery.
#3: They have failed to learn from their past mistakes
Another reason surgeons make mistakes in the operating room is that they have failed to learn from their past errors. No patient wants to think of their surgery as practice, but the truth is, surgeons should be honing their skills with each procedure. Doctors who don’t film their surgeries and watch them later like an athlete would watch a past competition are missing out on valuable lessons.
