Safety in Hand Surgery: Eliminating Wrong-Site Surgery.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Understand the definition of wrong-site surgery and what it may encompass. 2. State the causes of wrong-site hand surgery. 3. Give examples of initiatives used to prevent wrong-site surgery. 4. Describe a process to minimize the risk of performing wrong-site surgery. SUMMARY: Wrong-site surgery remains a problem in our ever-evolving culture of surgical safety, and hand surgeons are at particularly high risk. Broadly speaking, wrong-site surgery is a procedure performed at an incorrect anatomical site. In hand surgery, this includes errors in laterality, wrong digit(s), wrong procedure(s), or even a failure to complete all indicated procedures. This article examines the scope of this safety issue, the current challenges to preventing wrong-site surgery, and the authors' proposed solutions to eliminating wrong-site surgery and establishing a culture of safety in hand surgery.

Duke Scholars

Author Warren Hammert Orthopaedic Surgery