How can you prevent errors from affecting your child during surgery?

On Behalf of | Jul 12, 2021 | Surgical Errors |

When you have to take your child in for surgery, it’s already upsetting and nerve-racking. You want to make sure that everything goes the way it should and that they don’t end up with injuries or pass away as a result of errors.

How can you make sure the surgery is as safe as possible when you can’t physically be there yourself? Here are three tips to help.

  1. Talk to the medical team about your concerns

Your priority should be to talk to the medical team about your concerns and what you’d like them to do to keep you informed. Would you like more regular updates during the surgery? That may be possible if they have an extra set of hands during the operation. Would you like them to go over the procedure and how long it should take? Sit down and do so.

  1. Double-check the facts before surgery begins

The next thing to do is to double-check the facts before the surgery starts. Make sure your child’s wristband says the right name and birthday. Be sure that the surgical team knows about allergies your child has or any health concerns that could impact the surgery. Even though they’re supposed to have this information on hand, going over it again is a great refresher and will make sure they have the right information before beginning.

  1. Research the medical provider before you choose them to perform the surgery

Finally, make sure you do your research. If you haven’t looked into the providers handling your child’s case, do so. Find out how other patients felt about them and look to see if they have a history of errors or medical malpractice. If so, you may want to ask for a new surgeon, nurse or other provider on the team.

These are three tips for helping prevent errors that could negatively impact your child during surgery. Take the time to get to know the surgery, double-check the facts and know the medical team, so you can trust that your child is going to receive the best care possible.