Risk management in surgery

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Smith, Joseph C.^;

Affiliations: Department of Urology, The Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford, U.K.

Note: [] Correspondence to: J.C. Smith, MA, MS, FRCS, Consultant Urological Surgeon, Department of Urology, The Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LJ, U.K.

Abstract: When seeking a patient's informed consent to surgery, it is necessary to ensure that the extent of risk is explained, that the most common risks are described, and that the information given is recorded. Errors in performance of an agreed operation tend to be under-reported; acceptance of guidelines can reduce their incidence but will not eliminate them, and it is vital to deal understandingly with those which do occur.

Keywords: Surgery, Informed consent, Management of errors

DOI: 10.3233/JRS-1991-22-307

Journal: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 2, no. 2-3, pp. 125-128, 1991