A surgeon at Rhode Island Hospital operated on the wrong finger during outpatient hand surgery on Thursday, a hospital statement acknowledged Friday morning. It was the fifth wrong-site surgery at Rhode Island Hospital, and the sixth in the state, since 2007.
The patient was scheduled for surgery on two fingers. A joint on one finger underwent a procedure intended for another finger, hospital president Timothy J. Babineau said in a letter to employees.
“The patient subsequently underwent surgery on the correct finger and joint, did well and was discharged home later that day,” Babineau’s letter said. “The surgeon discussed the error with the patient and, in keeping with our policy, the Department of Health was immediately notified.” The hospital said it would not disclose further details about the surgery to protect the patient’s confidentiality. “Overall, we’re frustrated and we’re seriously concerned that this seems to be a continuing pattern at Rhode Island Hospital,” Beardsworth said. The results of the Health Department investigation will not be available immediately. “This error reminds us of the extraordinary complexity and difficulties in preventing medical errors — particularly wrong-site surgery,” Babineau wrote to employees.
Just before my knee surgery last spring, I asked the prep nurse to mark the correct knee before they put me under. Instead, she left my sock on the foot of the leg they were operating on. It was neither complicated nor difficult.
