Errors such as mixing up patients can have severe irreversible consequences for both doctors and the entire medical organization. The main reason for the occurrence of this issue is the human factor. Other systematic reasons that may entail patient misidentification are data collection, data analysis, and corrective or preventive actions. These three aspects must be critically observed when working in clinical institutions for the provision of health services. The problem of caregivers not recognizing that the patient transferred to, prepped for, and undergoing surgery was not the right patient requires a timely solution to eliminate the threat to public health.
Root cause analysis may be effective in solving this problem. It involves finding the root cause of the problem that led to subsequent events. It is also known as “a method of structured risk identification and management in the aftermath of adverse events” (Peerally et al., 2017. P. 417). In this case study, the weak point turned out to be data collection and data analysis. These two indicators are of particular importance, as they help to separate patients from each other and help to reduce the risk of confusing people in the healthcare organization.
A possible solution to this problem may be to pay more attention to the education of patients on the topic of data collection and the importance of their precise analysis. Moreover, it is essential to teach medical professionals to cope with stressful situations and manage their emotions to eliminate medical errors (Bridgeman et al., 2018; Savitsky et al., 2020). This is because people often produce errors due to their inattention to details. The primary and critical precautions that should have been undertaken in the case study under study is to establish communication among employees. This factor is significant since the human factor plays a leading role in the efficiency and organization of the work of a medical institution.
References
Bridgeman, P. J., Bridgeman, M. B., & Barone, J. (2018). Burnout syndrome among healthcare professionals.The Bulletin of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 75(3), 147-152.
Peerally, M. F., Carr, S., Waring, J., & Dixon-Woods, M. (2017). The problem with root cause analysis.BMJW Quality & Safety, 26(5), 417-422.
Savitsky, B., Findling, Y., Ereli, A., & Hendel, T. (2020). Anxiety and coping strategies among nursing students during the covid-19 pandemic.Nurse Education in Practice, 46, 102809.