Surgical Errors Research Paper

883 Words2 Pages

UNINTENDED RETAINED FOREIGN OBJECTS
Elle F. McNeiece
New York University





























I. Introduction
Surgical errors are seen in every hospital; however, hospitals are not required to report such incidents. Unintended retained foreign objects, often abbreviated as URFOs, are among those events that are often not reported.
In September 2012, the New York Times published an article about a woman who started experiencing severe abdominal pain 4 years status post Hysterectomy. Upon further inspection using a computed Topography (CT) scan, a surgical sponge was found inside the patient. In addition to the sponge left in the patient, the surgical exploration to retrieve it had caused a severe infection that resulted …show more content…

Key Stakeholders
Unintended retained foreign objects are a problem for the patient and the patient’s family because the complications the patient will experience puts even more strain on the caregivers. Physicians, surgeons, and other healthcare providers are also negatively impacted, because URFOs further complicate the patient’s care plan leading to more time being allotted to patient care. As a result, hospital administrators and insurance companies will also lose money through indemnity payments, compensation, and legal fees. Surgical errors may also affect all of the taxpayers in the nation if a surgical error occurs with a patient who is on state insurance.





























References

Chinn, S. (2015). Patient safety: Lessons learned beware of URFOs. Retrieved from
https://stanfordhealthcare.org/health-care-professionals/medical-staff/medstaff- update/2014-june/201406-patient-safety-lessons-learned.html

NoThing Left Behind. (2015). Retained surgical items. Retrieved from
http://www.nothingleftbehind.org

Preventing unintended retained foreign objects. (2013, October). The Joint Commission
Sentinel Event Alert, 51. Retrieved from

Open Document