As a resource, the following are deemed as “Never Events” per the U.S. Government. In other words, these acts should never, never, never happen when you are receiving medical care.
- Surgery on the wrong body part.
- Surgery on the wrong patient.
- Wrong surgical procedure performed on a patient.
- Object left in patient after surgery.
- Death of patient who had been generally healthy during or immediately after surgery for a localized problem.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with the use of contaminated drugs, devices or biologics.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with the misuse or malfunction of a device.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with intravascular air embolism.
- Infant discharged to wrong person.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with patient disappearing for more than four hours.
- Patient suicide or attempted suicide resulting in serious disability.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with a medication error.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with transfusion of blood or blood product of the wrong type.
- Maternal death or serious disability associated with labor or delivery in a low-risk pregnancy.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with the onset of hypoglycemia, a drop in blood sugar.
- Death or serious disability associated with failure to identify and treat hyperbilirubinemia, a blood abnormality, in newborns.
- Severe pressure ulcers acquired in the hospital.
- Patient death or serious disability due to spinal manipulative therapy.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with an electric shock.
- Any incident in which a line designated for oxygen or other gas to be delivered to a patient contains the wrong gas or is contaminated by toxic substances.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with a burn in the hospital.
- Patient death associated with a fall suffered in the hospital.
- Patient death or serious disability associated with the use of restraints or bedrails.
- Any instance of care ordered by or provided by someone impersonating a physician, nurse, pharmacist or other licensed healthcare provider.
- Abduction of a patient.
- Sexual assault on a patient.
- Death or significant injury of a patient or staff member resulting from a physical assault in the hospital.
- Artificial insemination with the wrong donor sperm or donor egg
You can read more from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicade Services HERE.
