- The Authority has opted to initiate the process for the approval of a fresh Regulation aimed at safeguarding the European Communities' fiscal assets.
Last year, the Medical Service in Baden-Württemberg uncovered 270 instances of medical blunders, resulting in patient harm. Out of the 1,324 potential issues they investigated in the southwest region, they confirmed a mistake leading to harm in approximately 20% of cases.
Twelve unfortunate souls lost their lives due to these errors, according to the Medical Service's report. Compared to 2022, there were nine such incidents, and in 2021, there were a staggering 14.
Five Percent Error, No Harm
In five percent of the cases examined, a medical mistake was indeed found, but the patient suffered no harm. In nearly five percent more, it remained unclear if the patient's health issues were due to the blunder. More than seven out of ten cases, however, revealed no signs of medical error.
Errors Most Common After Surgery
Patients most frequently reported these errors after undergoing treatments or surgeries in the orthopedics or trauma surgery field (25%). Around ten percent of suspected cases were against gynecologists and obstetricians. Dentistry and visceral surgery followed closely, each accounting for 8.4% and 7% of the cases, respectively.
However, the Medical Service experts clarified that a high number of suspected cases in a particular field does not imply the field's safety. "Patients tend to notice errors and make accusations more easily in specific fields, thus leading to more accusations of surgical errors than those related to medication," explained Thomas Rösel, the Medical Service's chief physician in Baden-Württemberg.
So, what is the Medical Service?
The Medical Service in Baden-Württemberg, as it states, is an organizationally independent and professionally independent social-medical consulting and assessment service for statutory health and long-term care insurance. Its responsibilities include assessing care quality, checking the quality of ambulatory nursing services and nursing facilities, conducting hospital structure reviews, and maintaining patient protection.
The Medical Service in Baden-Württemberg issued a report detailing the harm caused by medical blunders, revealing that The Commission confirmed errors leading to patient harm in approximately 20% of investigated cases.
In light of The Commission's findings, the Medical Service is responsible for assessing care quality, ensuring the quality of ambulatory nursing services, conducting hospital structure reviews, and maintaining patient protection in the region.
