THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The health department has issued a revised protocol to prevent surgical errors, following criticism over recent lapses such as wrong-site surgeries and instruments being left behind.
The new guidelines aim to strengthen patient safety and reduce negligence. Surgical errors, recognised globally as a major contributor to medical litigation, are now being addressed through structured measures that incorporate the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and additional safeguards tailored to local needs.
The protocol sets out ten essential objectives, including ensuring surgery is performed on the correct patient and site, preventing anaesthesia-related harm, preparing for airway or blood loss emergencies, avoiding allergic reactions, minimizing infections, preventing retention of instruments, and enhancing communication among surgical teams. Hospitals are also required to establish routine surveillance of surgical outcomes.
Implementation measures include preoperative identity verification, informed consent, wristband coding, and site marking.
In the operating room, the three-phase checklist-sign-in, time-out, and sign-out-will confirm patient identity, surgical site, and procedure details, while ensuring instrument counts and infection control. Minor surgeries, often overlooked, are also brought under the ambit of safety checklists, with mandatory nurse involvement.
A key focus of the revised protocol is improving communication with patients.
Surgeons and medical teams are required to brief patients thoroughly before procedures, explaining the risks, benefits, and steps involved. Patients will be engaged during preoperative, sign-in, and time-out phases.
Dedicated counselling rooms and briefing areas near operation theatres will facilitate clear communication with patients and their families, while digital displays in waiting areas will provide live updates on surgical progress.