Page 36 - Avoiding Surgical Mishaps Part 1

SVMIC Avoiding Surgical Mishaps: Dissecting the Risks

defendants prior to trial. Clearly, the surgeon did not value the

importance of effective communication nor appreciate the need
to interact with the other participants in the surgery setting. The

surgeon’s “no talking” policy and fear-inducing conduct, as well
as the facility administration’s failure to notice or correct the

negative behavior, created a hostile environment that resulted
in an adverse outcome and defensibility hurdles that were

impossible to overcome.

Another area of potential risk is with verbal orders. Typically the
nurse will be required to “read back” orders and instructions

for verification. Physicians should include specific clinical
parameters that instruct not only the frequency but also

specifically what should be assessed and when the physician
should be notified.

In the claims where the communication failure involved the
physician and a staff member, additional examples include

bedside nursing failures to inform the surgeon of changes in the
patient’s condition.

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