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Reducing the Risks of Wrong-Site Surgery: Safety Practices from The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare Project.
Chicago, IL: American Hospital Association, Health Research and Educational Trust, and Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare; 2014.
Wrong-site surgery is a never event, but still occurs at alarming rates. This report discusses risks related to wrong-site surgery, along with their root causes, and describes initiatives associated with a Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare project. The authors highlight improvements in scheduling surgeries, preoperative processes, operating room preparations, and organizational culture that substantially reduced wrong-site surgeries in the eight hospitals participating in the program. A prior AHRQ WebM&M commentary by Dr. Charles Vincent discussed a case of a wrong-site procedure.
