La sala operatoria. Rischio clinico e priorità di interventi

Abstract

In recent years the problem of adverse events in medicine, and subsequent legal claims, has been examined deeply, both in the medical literature and in the general press. Error is implicit in clinical practice, and is mostly common in surgery. This is due to the high prevalence of new and complex technologies in this field of medicine, and to the high expertise required to perform surgical operations. Some methodological procedures may be useful in avoiding such errors. The article examines the analyses and activities that should be performed routinely in the surgical environment to prevent errors and enhance patients’ safety, providing a comparison between the Italian situation and the situation of the Anglo-Saxon Countries.