Feb. 13, 2013
A recent report from the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) concluded that surgeries on the wrong body parts were one of the most common medical errors in the state during 2011.
Data showed a total of 100 medical errors reported in 2011 from 291 medical facilities across Indiana. Those incidents were broken down into 94 errors that occurred in hospitals, while the remaining six adverse events occurred at ambulatory surgery centers. While serious bedsores were the most common ailment reported, surgery on the wrong body part was a close second, followed by retention of a foreign object in the body after surgery.
A total of twelve patients died as the result of the 28 serious reportable events that occurred over the yearlong period. Experts were quick to point out that such adverse events are rarely caused by the actions of a single individual, but are often the result of failed systems and processes that doctors and medical staff follow.
The Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers with the law firm of Stewart & Stewart Injury Lawyers say that a doctor and his staff has a responsibility to protect a patient from harm caused by negligence and failure to do so could result in a patient filing an Indiana Medical Malpractice claim.
The firm urges anyone who has been harmed while under the care of a physician to discuss your legal rights with an attorney immediately.