Want to become an empowered patient? A new study on surgical errors will help

A new study published in the medical journal Anesthesiology found that almost half of surgeries at Massachusetts General Hospital, a leader in patient safety, had a medication error or adverse drug event. The study was the product of an in-house look at these types of errors and events. It is unique in that it is the first large study to examine errors before, during, and after surgery. The error rate it reported is higher than rates found in previous studies, probably because those studies relied on self-reporting by providers.

Studies like this new one are important in advancing patient safety. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published the groundbreaking report, To Err Is Human, which revealed that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die from preventable medical errors in hospitals each year. That report underscored the importance of hospital errors by noting that this number is higher than the number of deaths caused by motor-vehicle accidents and breast cancer. A later study found that medical errors that harm patients cost $17.1 billion each year nationwide.

Although that report was a great contribution to the field of patient safety, progress since it was published has been slow.

This new study is important for patient safety for several reasons. By observing errors and events before, during, and after surgery, rather than relying on provider self-reports, it presents a more accurate picture of their frequency. The study also adds recommendations for reducing errors, such as limiting the ability of hospital staff to work around patient safety protections that have been put in place.

Since this study was conducted by in-house researchers at a leading hospital for patient safety, it opens the door for wider self-assessment, publication, and analysis of sources of errors and adverse events. While this is a bold and potentially risky move for hospitals, increased transparency is the best way to show where there is room for improvement.

The new study and media coverage around it will help to increase awareness of the need for greater patient protections. Hopefully, this will empower patients to ask more questions in advance of surgery. While talking to a physician or hospital staff member about the safety measures they are taking to reduce errors and adverse events may seem intimidating, studies like this one can provide a starting point for the conversation. Information on how your hospital is doing is a vital tool in helping to become an empowered consumer.

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Marcelo H. Fernandez-Viña is a third-year law student at Drexel's Thomas R. Kline School of Law, concentrating in health law.

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