When you enter a hospital for a procedure, you are entrusting your life to the medical professionals treating you. You expect them to follow the proper procedures and follow the highest standards of care.
Unfortunately, there are rare but devastating mistakes that sometimes occur. These are called “never events” because they are so serious and so preventable that they should never happen.
Why “never events” should never happen
The National Quality Forum (NQF) introduced the term “never event” to describe particularly appalling medical errors that are entirely preventable if the medical professional followed proper procedures. These are not minor mistakes; they are incidents that could compromise patient safety. There are 29 different types of never events broken down into seven categories.
Examples of never events include:
- Surgical errors: Operating on the wrong body part or patient, or leaving a foreign object (like a sponge) inside a patient after surgery.
- Patient protection events: Discharging a patient to the wrong person or allowing a patient to wander outside of the building, where they may become injured.
- Product or device events: Using a contaminated device or using it in a way other than its original intent.
- Care management events: A patient death due to a medication error, or acquiring a stage 3, stage 4 or unstageable pressure ulcer after hospital admittance.
- Environmental events: Death or serious injury from falls or burns.
- Radiologic events: Causing death or injury to a patient due to the introduction of a metallic item in the MRI machine.
- Possible criminal events: Kidnapping a patient or impersonating a healthcare provider.
Not all medical malpractice claims are due to never events, but all never events may be grounds for filing a claim, especially if the mistake resulted in injuries and losses. If you or your loved one suffered harm in a healthcare facility, you need to speak with a legal representative. They can look at the evidence and pursue justice and compensation on your behalf.