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Hospitals in California are a place of healing and care, but all too often, healthcare practitioners make mistakes that can cause serious injury or death. These mistakes are known as “never events” because they are preventable medical situations or conditions that should never happen in a hospital setting.
Surgical or Invasive Procedure Events
The level of care that hospitals or medical institutions should accord procedures that involve invasive techniques, such as surgery or endoscopy, is extremely important. Common never events related to these procedures include wrong-site surgery, retained foreign objects left in a patient’s body after the procedure and wrong-procedure errors.
Medication Administration and Dispensing Events
Errors related to medication can cause reactions in the body that can lead to life-altering injuries or death. In addition to taking the wrong medication or receiving an incorrect dose of the correct medication, misadministration of medications may occur due to language barriers between healthcare providers and patients (e.g., if instructions are unclear or misunderstood).
Transfusion or Infusion Events
While blood transfusions and infusions can save lives, serious problems arise when they’re administered improperly. Common errors include administering the wrong blood type or a patient receiving an incorrect dose of a medication intended for another patient.
Product or Device Events
Incorrect use of medical equipment or devices, for example, when a doctor leaves a catheter in a patient after surgery, can have disastrous consequences. The body’s immune system is very sensitive and ruthlessly fights foreign objects, which can lead to infection, tissue damage and even death.
What to Do When You’re a Victim of a Never Event
You can file medical malpractice against the hospital or physician responsible for the error to receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other damages. However, to be successful, you must have evidence that a healthcare provider acted negligently or irresponsibly and adhere to the time limit for filing a claim, which is three years from the date the injury occurred.
Ultimately, hospitals and doctors should do everything in their power to prevent never events from occurring in the first place. However, you should also be vigilant, i.e., if you can, to prevent such errors from occurring, like ensuring your name is on your chart, calling to double check your medication before taking it and being aware of the name and credentials of the healthcare practitioner treating you.