Definition

Noun: A serious medical error where a surgical procedure is performed on the incorrect part, side, or organ of a patient's body. This is a preventable adverse event, often involving wrong-side surgery (e.g., left versus right), wrong-level surgery (e.g., the wrong vertebra), or wrong-patient surgery.

Usage

This term is used specifically in medical, legal, and patient safety contexts to describe a specific category of medical mistake. It is a formal and precise term. - The hospital implemented a new checklist protocol to prevent wrong-site surgery. - The report classified the incident as a wrong-site surgery because the operation was performed on the healthy knee. - Wrong-site surgery is considered a "never event" in healthcare, meaning it should never occur.

Advanced Usage

• As a subject of study or policy: The term is frequently used in discussions about healthcare quality, systemic safety protocols, and malpractice.
  • Research into the root causes of wrong-site surgery has led to universal protocol adoption.
• In legal and reporting contexts: It is used in official incident reports, medical literature, and legal proceedings.
  • The lawsuit was filed following a confirmed case of wrong-site surgery.

Variants and Related Words

• Wrong-side surgery: A specific type of wrong-site surgery (e.g., left leg instead of right).
• Wrong-level surgery: A specific type, common in spinal procedures.
• Wrong-patient surgery: A related, distinct error where surgery is performed on the incorrect patient.
• Never event: The broader category of serious, preventable medical errors that includes wrong-site surgery.
• Medical error: The general category under which wrong-site surgery falls.

Synonyms

• Surgical error (general)
• Operative error (general)
• Never event (specific category)

Related Phrases

• Universal Protocol: A standardized safety process designed to prevent wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-person surgery.
  • Adhering to the Universal Protocol is mandatory to avoid wrong-site surgery.
• Time-out procedure: A key step in the Universal Protocol where the surgical team pauses to verify the correct patient, site, and procedure.
  • The surgical team conducted a time-out to prevent wrong-site surgery.

Noun

1. a surgical operation performed on the wrong part of the body