A “Breast Specific” WHO checklist – Improving safety for breast cancer patients

Petrou, Nicoletta; Godden, Amy; Rimmer, Stephanie; Pisarek, Claudia; Keogh, Georgina; Hadjiminas, Dimitri; Al-Mufti, Ragheed; Lewis, Jackie; Hogben, Katy; Cunningham, Deborah; Leff, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.ejso.2016.02.121

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Such significant patient safety issues can be reduced with diligent organization and good clinical practice. Use of patient safety tools and protocols such as the WHO checklist 29 are mandatory, and some studies have demonstrated benefits 30 ; however, although a breast-specific checklist has been piloted 31 , it is not in widespread use at present.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litigation in breast surgery: unique insights from the English National Health Service experience

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The increase in medical negligence claims against the National Health Service (NHS) over the past decade has had a detrimental impact on limited financial and human resources that could otherwise be available for direct clinical care. The aim of this study was to review litigation claims in breast surgery as part of the national Getting It Right First Time quality improvement initiative, with the aim of identifying opportunities to improve clinical practice and patient safety. Methods All general and plastic surgical claims notified to NHS Resolution between April 2012 and April 2018 were reviewed. Claims related specifically to breast surgery were retrieved manually, and case summaries were analysed independently by two breast surgeons. Results From 6915 claims, 449 relating to breast surgery were identified and reviewed. The mean(s.d.) claimant age was 46(13) years. The median number of claims over the 6-year period per NHS trust was 2 (range 0–22). The most frequent causes of litigation were dissatisfaction with cosmetic outcome (121 claims, 26.9 per cent) and patient-reported delays in diagnosis (121, 26.9 per cent). A large proportion of claims related to breast implant surgery (78, 17.4 per cent), and issues regarding consent/communication were common (69, 15.4 per cent). The estimated annual cost of breast surgery litigation claims ranged from £5.57 to £9.59 million (€6.35–11.02 million). Conclusion Patient-reported delays in diagnosis and dissatisfaction with cosmetic outcome are the most common causes of litigation related to breast surgery. These key themes should be the focus for workforce learning, with the aim of improving patient care and experience.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%