Adverse events

Here’s a sample of adverse events reported by Washington state hospitals since a law requiring those reports took effect in June 2006:

113 serious cases of pressure sores

42 foreign objects left in a person following a surgery or procedure

23 surgeries on the wrong body part

7 cases of sexual assault on a patient

6 patient deaths or serious disability from a medication error

1 surgery on the wrong patient

A spreadsheet of adverse events can be downloaded at spokesmanreview.com