A longtime surgical nurse says the rise of of surgical items being left inside patients is because of systemic problems that are causing medical teams to rush through operations.Tracy-Ann Wallace was initially turned away when she complained to her surgeon about her post-operative symptoms, but a medical error came to light when Wallace insisted on an exam.
That's no accident, but a systemic problem caused by doctors and nurses being pressured to rush through surgeries, according to veteran surgical nurse Bev McLean. At the same time, the provinces require hospitals to balance their budgets, resulting in a crackdown on overtime and adding to the pressure to rush through surgeries.
Asked what it's doing about the problem, Health Canada said in an email "the practice of medicine" is up to the provinces.There are oversights and safety measures in place. Accreditation Canada, an independent agency that sets standards for publicly funded hospitals, made it mandatory in 2011 for surgical staff to count the devices — sponges, needles, clamps, scissors, etc. — used after a procedure to ensure nothing is left behind.
Williamson says there is no single, identifiable reason why Alberta's rates are higher, but that it's likely due to the province's good reporting system. Misplaced medical devices are part of the broader problem of "preventable patient harm incidents" — a category of mishaps that also includes hospital-acquired infections, blood clots and childbirth trauma.
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