Wrong Site Surgery The Facts

• More than 400 cases per year in the UK
• Wrong operation nearly twice as common as the wrong side
• 85% pay out rate for litigation
• 4.5x more likely than a transfusion error
• 1 in 4 orthopaedic surgeons will perform a wrong sited operation
• Much can be done to reduce the risk

Wrong site surgery is a devastating complication. Most people think it only relates to operating on the wrong side, just as common however is performing the wrong procedure on a patient. With more patients being admitted on the day of surgery, ever more changes to operating lists and the decrease in continuity of care amongst medical staff the risk is set to increase. It is to all intents and purposes indefensible. Work in the UK by the National Patient Safety Agency calculates that the error occurs approximately 400 times per year within the UK National Health Service.

Wrong site surgery occurs most famously during operations but any procedure is at risk including interventional radiology and medical procedures. A great deal of research has been carried out, particularly in the United States. Three major factors stand out:-

• The patient and procedure should be checked by more than one doctor
• The patient must be involved in the checking process
• The operating surgeon should make a final check when the patient reaches theatre

Our solution harnesses all three vital steps, it is readily available, it can be introduced in your hospital immediately and costs pennies. Not many healthcare solutions can claim that! Click here to find out how it works. It has been developed with input from both the background research on wrong site surgery as well as senior medical staff, nurses, theatre coordinators, ODA's, ODP's and the National Patient Safety Agency.

The band is confirmed to be compliant with the NPSA requirements for the avoidance of wrong site surgery. Recent NPSA guidelines concern checking the documentation and marking the side in patients undergoing procedures. According to research by the Medical Defence Union operations on the wrong sided rather than wrong operation account for just over one third of cases. The remaining two thirds are patient in whom the wrong procedure is performed, often due to changes in the operating order. We believe the patient band with the name of the procedure attached and signed by the patient and two doctors will reduce the risk of wrong site surgery. Read the frequently asked questions here. You can download a proposal for Clinical Governance, Quality Assurance or Change of Practice Committees from here.

The SafetyBand is protected by UK and International Patents and Design Patents