Medical errors are common and dangerous, estimated to cause over 400,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. The field of neurosurgery is not immune to these errors, and many studies have begun analyzing the frequency and types of errors that neurosurgical patients experience, along with their effects and causes. Fortunately, these data are guiding new innovations to reduce and prevent errors, like checklists, computerized order entry, and an increased appreciation for volume–outcome relationships. This article describes the epidemiology of errors, their classification, methods for identifying and discovering errors, and new strategies for error prevention.
Key points
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Medical errors are common and serious, leading to an estimated 440,000 deaths annually in the United States.
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For neurosurgery patients, prospective studies found errors in 25% to 85% of all cases.
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Only 25% of recorded errors are caused by surgical technique; most errors involve the whole health care team, highlighting the importance of systems thinking.
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A wide range of tools has been developed to help reduce the frequency and impact of errors, such as the World Health Organization’s Surgical Safety Checklist, computerized order entry, and surgical navigation systems.

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