California Medical Mistakes May Be Reduced By Surgical Checklists
A recent report is calling for the increased use of surgical checklists to reduce the number of medical errors and incidences of medical malpractice. The use of checklists is often raised as a simple idea that could potentially save thousands of patient’s lives each year.
The report concluded that nearly one-third of medical malpractice claims were the result of mistakes that could have been caught by a checklist. Experts note, “tens of thousands of Americans die every year due to medical errors – most of which are related to surgery.”
A knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney can advise you whether an injury due to a surgical error may constitute medical negligence.
When health care providers use a checklist, the number of deaths is dramatically reduced. As Dr. Atul Gawande, a Harvard School of Public Health surgeon, states “[t]his kind of evidence indicates that surgeons who do not use one of these checklists are endangering patients.”
Despite evidence of improved results, only about one-fourth of U.S. hospitals use an approved checklist.
As San Francisco medical malpractice lawyers concerned about improving patient safety, we believe that patient safety should come first and hospitals should take the necessary measures to reduce errors.
For more information, or if you believe you or a loved one has been harmed due to a medical error, please contact the San Francisco medical negligence attorneys at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP.
