Never events are occurrences within the medical field that should never happen with the right protocols and training in place. When an event like this occurs, it is always due to an oversight or mistake by the medical professionals who are in charge.
Scroll down to discover 29 never events that have been identified by the Department of Human Health and learn what you should do if one of these happens to you.
Surgical Events
1. Wrong patient surgery. Medical staff are required to double and triple confirm they have the correct patient on the table before operating.
2. Wrong site surgery. Staff must also confirm the correct surgical site multiple times prior to starting the procedure.
3. Wrong procedure. The type of surgery being performed should match the patient’s chart and medical history.
4. Object left inside the patient. Staff must count the number of instruments being used before, during, and after surgery.
5. Death of a healthy patient during or directly after surgery. Patients who don’t smoke or drink and have no preexisting health conditions should not die as a result of routine surgery.
Medical Device Events
6. Critical injury or death of a patient due to contaminated products. This includes medical devices, biologics, and medications that are unsterile or have been contaminated in some way prior to use.
7. Critical injury or death of a patient due to medical device malfunction. Medical devices must not function outside of the manner in which they were intended to.
8. Critical injury or death of a patient due to intravascular air embolism. Air should never be introduced into a patient’s vascular system during the placement of an IV or during any other medical procedure.
Patient Events
9. Release of an incapacitated patient to someone other than the authorized caregiver. Hospitals and other medical facilities must confirm that a patient who cannot make decisions for themselves is being released to the correct person.
10. Critical injury or death as a direct result of an incapacitated patient’s elopement. Medical facilities are responsible for supervising patients who are not of sound mind and keeping them safe on premises.
11. Patient self harm. Facilities must appropriately monitor patients in health care settings to prevent self-injury and attempted/completed suicide.
Care Management Events
12. Patient death or severe injury due to a medication error. This includes the wrong type of medication, the incorrect dosage, the wrong time, rate, or route of administration, the wrong preparation, or the wrong patient.
13. Death or severe injury of a mother in labor during a low-risk delivery. Healthy mothers should not have complications that are a direct result of delivering in a medical setting.
14. Death or severe injury of a healthy baby during a low-risk delivery. Healthy infants should also have no complications that are directly tied to being born in a hospital setting.
15. Patient death or severe injury caused by improper use of blood products. This includes administering products that are contaminated or the wrong type for the patient.
16. Pressure ulcers stage 3 and beyond that are acquired by a patient following admission. Medical facilities are responsible for providing patients a high enough level of care to avoid causing serious bedsores.
17. Wrong donor artificial insemination. Reproductive care facilities must confirm the correct semen donor multiple times in each case of AI.
18. Serious injury or death of a patient after the loss or destruction of an irreplaceable biological specimen. An example of this would be if a tumor biopsy slide was accidentally destroyed and couldn’t be tested for malignancy and the patient later died of cancer as a result.
19. Serious injury or death of a patient due to a fall. Healthcare facilities are responsible for supervising patients to make sure they don’t fall, especially when they are at increased risk due to their condition or administered medication.
20. Serious injury or death of a patient due to failure to communicate test results. This includes the failure of a laboratory, radiology department, or other testing facility to send results to the patient’s doctor and the doctor’s failure to follow up with the facility if they haven’t heard back in a reasonable amount of time.
Radiology Events
21. Severe injury or death of a patient or staff member during an MRI due to a metallic object. Extensive screening procedures are in place and must be followed to prevent any metal from entering the MRI area at any point in time, even if the machine is off.
Environmental Events
22. Severe injury or death of a patient or staff member due to electric shock sustained in the healthcare facility. Examples of this would be if a surgeon was electrocuted by the cauterizing device used to seal wounds during a procedure or if an incapacitated patient put something in an electrical socket while unsupervised.
23. Oxygen lines have contaminated gas, the wrong gas, or no gas at all. Any line that is designated for oxygen must be checked that it is working properly before attempting to administer oxygen to a patient.
24. Severe injury or death of a patient or staff member due to a burn incurred during the administration or receipt of health care services. An example of this is if a patient is given a warm compress that is too hot and causes second or third degree burns on the patient’s skin.
25. Severe injury or death of a patient due to the use of bedrails or restraints. Any use of restraint that results in a serious injury or fatality is considered a never event, even if medical staff followed facility protocol.
Criminal Events
26. Health care services provided to a patient by an imposter medical professional. Healthcare facilities must perform extensive background checks and confirm that a doctor, nurse, laboratory technician, or any other working professional has the correct licensure and credentials to perform their job. Facilities are also responsible for ensuring that all staff who are treating the patient are employed by the facility.
27. Patient abduction. Patients may not be kidnapped or abducted from the hospital at any point by any person, regardless of age or mental capacity.
28. Physical or sexual abuse of a patient in a medical setting. Staff may not abuse patients themselves or allow the abuse of a patient to happen by another staff member, patient, or visitor.
29. Severe injury or death of a patient or staff member due to physical assault in a medical setting. Facilities are responsible for protecting individuals in their care from physical assault. This includes being aware of the signs someone is likely to commit assault, monitoring staff and patients for increased risk of agitation, and acting quickly if it occurs.
Were you or someone you love hurt in a medical never event? Contact us now by calling (440) 333-3800 to schedule your free initial consultation to discuss your case details. We can help.