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How can distractions during surgery lead to malpractice?

On Behalf of | Sep 19, 2022 | Medical Malpractice

When you are struggling in the time after your surgery because of an error that happened during the procedure, you may wonder what lead up to this problem.

Distracted doctors can make serious mistakes. The sources of these distractions often come from staff inside the room or the tools the doctors are using.

Having off-topic conversations

According to the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, some medical assistants may begin to bring up unrelated topics while in the middle of surgery. The room may even have music or sounds from cell phones that take the head surgeon’s attention away from the patient.

While people may assume that multitasking or hearing multiple streams of conversation is not overly distracting, even missing a tiny detail during surgery can lead to a serious health concern.

Using wrong equipment

Even if the room is silent, a broken scalpel or other tools can lead to unnecessary worry and confusion. The doctor may lose track of important details or miss a step in the procedure. Some could leave small tissues or other items inside a person if they forget to count them near the end of the surgery.

The staff may even forget to bring all the necessary tools with them, which can delay an important part of the operation without warning.

Speeding up procedures

A surgeon who is trying to complete a surgery as fast as possible to go to another place may skip steps or fail to take safety precautions. When you are suffering from medical malpractice, knowing how distractions and poor decisions can impact a surgery can help you decide what to do next.

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