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Incidence and root cause analysis of wrong-site pain management procedures: a multicenter study.
Cohen SP, Hayek SM, Datta S, et al. Anesthesiology. 2010;112:711-718.
Wrong-site surgeries are considered rare but devastating never events. However, a recent article suggested that wrong-site procedures may be more common than previously thought, since such errors can occur in procedures performed in areas other than the operating room. This study sought to evaluate the incidence of wrong-site surgery in pain management, using data from 10 facilities over a 2-year period. Although the overall incidence was low—only 13 cases were found with minimal associated patient harm—most cases were considered preventable, as clinicians failed to follow recommended preventive measures. A wrong-site surgery near miss is discussed in this AHRQ WebM&M commentary.
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