Introduction
Wrong site surgery is a problem that has existed for as long as surgery has been used to treat various conditions. When surgeons perform surgery on the wrong part of the body, it is deemed as wrong site surgery. Wrong site surgery covers the following categories:
• Surgery carried out of paired organs such as kidneys, eyes and even limbs. Here, the surgeon operates on the wrong organ. For example, instead of operating on the right eye, the surgery is completed on the left eye.
• The second category is where the right organ is operated upon but the surgery is done in the wrong location. This occurs where the anatomies of the particular body part are quite similar. For example in the same eye surgery, surgery is done on the correct eye but he wrong eye muscle.
• Finally surgery could be done on the correct part f the body, the correct anatomy but the wrong procedure. This is especially where the surgeries may sound and/or look the same. For example resecting a muscle rather than recession of the same.
In recent times, researchers have added two new categories …show more content…
Such cases have garnered more than enough national attention. The review of literature shows that cases of wrong site surgery are hard to track. Surgeons in themselves are often less than honest when it comes to reporting cases and patients are more concerned with seeking liability. Both these factors make the availability of the literature minimal. Majority of the literature available often blames WSS on the system. Hospitals and surgery bookings are often done through the system. In majority of the cases, the surgeon has not interacted with the patients. If such a system breaks down, the chances of wrong site surgery become higher. The Joint Commission allows surgeons to record and report voluntarily cases of wrong site surgery. However, the numbers recorded have been dwindling in the past