New Study Finds Many Surgical Patients Allegedly Have Complications Which Are Often the Result of Medical Errors

November 26, 2024

More than one third of the patients admitted to hospitals for surgery experienced adverse events, with nearly half of those classified as major and mostly preventable, according to a new study in the BMJ.

The research looked at the outcomes of 1,009 people admitted to 11 hospitals in Massachusetts for surgery in 2018. Among those patients, adverse events were identified in 38% with major complications occurring in 15.9%. Roughly half of these events (160) were judged to be serious or life-threatening. The most common adverse events were related to the surgical procedures, followed by medication errors and healthcare-associated infections.

There’s no doubt that performing surgical procedures comes with a wide array of risks. Identifying the potential risks and taking action to lessen them is essential. In addition, it’s essential to make sure that the physicians who perform these surgical procedures and those healthcare professionals who assist them have the tools and training needed to fulfill their roles in a safe manner.

ISMIE offers general surgery risk tips that outline steps that can be taken to mitigate risk from pre- to post-surgery to keep patients safe.

If you have questions, please contact the Risk Management Division by email.