Having a Surgical Checklist Can Reduce Maryland Medical Malpractice

Recently, Dutch researchers completed a study which discovered that using a checklist during surgeries would both prevent medical errors and decrease medical malpractice claims, according to Reuters.

The researchers looked at records from the Netherlands’ largest medical liability insurer, and the records showed that almost one-third of the malpractice claims came from mistakes that most likely would have been prevented if a checklist had been used during surgery.

Experts say that tens of thousands of Americans die each year due to medical errors. Most of those errors are related to surgery. Some experts estimate the medical errors cost the U.S. over $55 billion each year.

Prior studies have also found that deaths from surgery are reduced dramatically when checklists are used. Also, the checklists help prevent future complications. Only about 25 percent of U.S. hospitals use one of the three checklists that have been proven to work. Some of the simple things that appear on surgical checklists are making sure the operating schedule is correct, making sure the correct equipment is available, and indicating on which part of the body the surgery is supposed to take place.

It’s unfortunate when medical malpractice occurs, especially when it could be easily prevented with tools such as checklists. If you have suffered an injury or illness due to the negligence of a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional, you should contact a Maryland medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. The dedicated lawyers at Alpert Schreyer, LLC have extensive experience with a variety of medical malpractice cases. Call them today to discuss your medical malpractice case at 301-932-9997.