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The increasing development of bar coding technology may point the way to a reduction in the number of wrong site surgery claims made by victims of clinical negligence.
One of the reasons doctors make mistakes and operate on a part of the body which does not require attention is poor identification of the area needing surgery or mixing-up patients with similar names and medical conditions.
Currently, manual methods are used to identify patients and maintain records. Hand-written bracelets or anklets are attached to patients' arms or legs and checked when they go into the operating theatre.
However, it is not unknown for people with the same name to be confused with each other, especially in a large, busy hospital and barcodes added to patient labels are a means of reducing this possibility.
Some maternity units have begun to use bar coded labels for new-born babies to ensure there is no risk of a child being given to the wrong mother or treated unnecessarily for a medical problem.
The technology of bar codes has been used for some time on packets and other containers of drugs and medications, both those available from a high street pharmacy and dispensed at hospitals.
This reduces the likelihood of two similar drugs being confused and, when linked to a patient's identity label while being treated in hospital, could ensure the correct dosage is being given.
The Department of Health is officially encouraging increased use of bar coding on medication packaging, surgical instruments, equipment and other medical devices to improve record-keeping and reduce errors affecting patients' health.
These errors can include wrong drugs being prescribed, surgical instruments being left in the body after an operation and malfunction or contamination of equipment which should be picked up before becoming a risk if there is increased systems checking through bar codes.
Solicitors for wrong site surgery claim
Suffering any form of medical negligence is an extremely upsetting experience for the victim and his or her loved ones and here, at YouClaim, we are dedicated to obtaining justice for you in cases such as a wrong site surgery claim.
Wherever you live in the UK, you will receive the best of legal advice from us and you can be assured of practical advice and representation, given by experienced and sympathetic solicitors.
Your best interests will always be at the centre of what we do and not only will we endeavour to win compensation for you but your claim may alert health authorities to a problem and prevent others from suffering in a similar way.
To find out more about our special services for making a wrong site surgery claim you can talk to one of our helpful team by telephoning 0800 10 757 95 or send us brief details via the claim form on this page and we'll reply as quickly as possible.
