The 2012 Medical Errors Report released by the Indiana State Department of Health shows the number of serious bed sores acquired after admission into the hospital decreased from 41 in 2011 to 30 in 2012.
Bed sores, also known as pressure ulcers, have been the most reported incident six of the seven years the report has been compiled and average 30 incidents a year.
100 medical errors were reported in 2012, the same number reported in 2011.
The other most frequent medical errors last year were 19 incidents of a foreign object in a patient after surgery, 15 surgeries reported on the wrong body part and 14 falls resulting in death or serious disability.
“Medical errors are serious and preventable,” said State Health Commissioner William VanNess II, MD. “I hope this report serves as a call to action to health care providers around the state to be even more vigilant in their attention to detail when caring for patients.”
As a result of the 2012 meningitis outbreak which was linked to a compounding pharmacy, incidents of death or serious disability associated with contaminated drugs showed a significant increase in the report. Seven of those incidents were reported in 2012, all occurring in an ambulatory surgery center.
