In 2003, The Joint Commission implemented the Universal Protocol — guidance for orthopedic and spine surgeons designed to decrease the risk of medical mistakes, including wrong-site procedures.
Despite the rule's adoption by many hospitals and health sytems, errors still occur. Authors for The Joint Commission's Journal on Quality and Patient Safety examined data on wrong-site surgery between 2013 and 2020.
Here are 10 things to know about wrong-site malpractice claims in orthopedics and spine:
1. Between 2013 and 2020, there were 68 wrong-site claims in the U.S. across all specialties.
2. The mean age of the patients in these claims was 55.7.
3. More than half of the patients (51.5 percent) were female.
4. Orthopedics experienced the highest number of wrong-site claims, at 35.3 percent of all claims.
5. Neurosurgery had the second highest number of claims, at 22.1 percent.
6. The procedures most commonly involved in wrong-site claims were spine and intervertebral disc surgery (22.1 percent), arthroscopy (14.7 percent) and surgery on muscles/tendons (11.8 percent).
7. Claim severity was higher in inpatient settings than ambulatory settings.
8. The most common alleged injury was a need for additional surgeries (45.6 percent).
9. Mean closed claim values reached $136,452.
10. The risk of wrong-site surgeries is highest in spine surgeries, likely due to unique technical challenges, according to the research.