Surgical procedures undertaken at the wrong site represent a potentially devastating event for everyone involved. Wrong site surgery is defined as surgery performed at the incorrect anatomical site – either the wrong side (left leg instead of right) or the incorrect anatomical location or level (incorrect finger on the correct hand). The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) last year issued a joint alert (NPSA 2005a) to promote correct site surgery. This aims to clarify the steps required and ensure that the intended and correct surgical procedure is performed on the correct patient at the correct site.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons2003Academy News: ‘Sign your site’ gets strong member support Available from: www.aaos.org/wordhtml/99news/os3-sign.htm [accessed 7 Jan 2006]
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Canadian Association Committee for Practice and Economics1994Position Paper on Wrong-sided Surgery in Orthopaedics Available from: www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/ptsafety/chap43b.htm [accessed 5 Dec 2005]
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Commission for Health Improvement2000Investigation into Carmarthenshire NHS Trust Report to the Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services for the National Assembly for Wales Available from: www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/Homepage/fs/en [accessed 5 Dec 2005]
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Harvard Medical Institute2003Risk Management Framework of the Harvard Medical Institute: did wrong site surgery remedy work? Available from: www.rmf.harvard.edu/publications [accessed 5 Dec 2005]
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Institute for Healthcare Improvement2003Improving Safety in High Hazard AreasCambridge (MA), IHI
National Patient Safety Agency2005b Patient Briefing 06: correct site surgery – making your surgery safer Available from: www.npsa.nhs.uk/public/display?contentId=3541 [accessed 5 Dec 2005]
