Risk Analysis for Patient Safety in Surgical Departments: Cross-Sectional Design Usefulness

Abstract

(1) Background: Identifying and measuring adverse events (AE) is a priority for patient safety, which allows us to define and prioritise areas for improvement and evaluate and develop solutions to improve health care quality. The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of AEs in surgical and medical-surgical departments and to know the health impact of these AEs. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study determining the prevalence of AEs in surgical and medical-surgical departments was conducted and a comparison was made among both clinical areas. A total of 5228 patients were admitted in 58 hospitals in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru, within the Latin American Study of Adverse Events (IBEAS), led by the Spanish Ministry of Health, the Pan American Health Organization, and the WHO Patient Safety programme. (3) Results: The global prevalence of AEs was 10.7%. However, the prevalence of AEs in surgical departments was 11.9%, while in medical-surgical departments it was 8.9%. The causes of these AEs were associated with surgical procedures (38.6%) and nosocomial infections (35.4%). About 60.6% of the AEs extended hospital stays by 30.7 days on average and 25.8% led to readmission with an average hospitalisation of 15 days. About 22.4% resulted in death, disability, or surgical reintervention. (4) Conclusions: Surgical departments were associated with a higher risk of experiencing AEs.

A standardized marking procedure for ENT operations to prevent wrong-site surgery: development, establishment and subsequent evaluation among patients and medical personnel

“…Although it is difficult to objectively investigate safety strategies due to the relative rarity of WSS events [ 1 ], studies and interviews have shown that marking the surgical site is an important building block and thus a crucial layer in the cheese model for preventing WSS [ 1 , 3 , 8 , 11 , 12 , 19 ]. There is thus a need for a safe, simple and unambiguous ENT labeling procedure [ 2 , 15 ].…”

“…Studies have identified misreporting in the OR schedule as a source of error for WSSs [ 19 , 23 ]. The surest confirmation lies in reconciling multiple sources, especially the inclusion of the not-yet-sedated patient in combination with the admission/informed consent document [ 11 , 12 , 16 , 18 ]. Relying solely on the information provided by the patient or family members can also be a cause of WSS [ 1 , 3 ].…”

“…Other studies have also proven that at least half of WSSs can be prevented using such protocols [ 8 , 11 , 12 ]. However, it has not yet been proven with sufficient evidence that checklists significantly reduce the number of WSS cases [ 1 , 3 ].…”

Patient safety in surgical settings: A study on the challenges and improvement strategies in adverse event reporting from a nursing perspective

“…Given the need to prioritise improving the quality of care and guaranteeing patient safety, recent studies have focused on detecting, classifying and quantifying AEs to prevent them (Aranaz et al., 2020; Vincent & Amalberti, 2016). The surgical department is a unique setting with a high rate of risks associated with the activity, with a significantly higher prevalence of AEs compared to other departments, with half of the cases being avoidable (Aranaz et al., 2020).…”

The Association of Surgical Safety and Patient Safety Incident

“…Surgical safety that was not implemented properly was influenced by various factors such as worked routines, tight operating schedules, busyness, and lack of personnel (Spagnolo et al 2013;WAPS 2009). Failure to practiced safe surgery could've result in some unwanted cases and could've result in disability and even death (Aranaz Ostáriz et al 2020).…”