[Management of errors and complications in surgery].

Area of Science:

• Surgical quality assurance
• Patient safety
• Risk management

Background:

• Error management and complication handling are vital for surgical department quality assurance.
• Structured risk management and training methods are increasingly relevant in surgical education.
• An open error culture, free from taboos and blame, is essential for patient safety and constructive complication management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of structured risk management in surgical departments.
• To emphasize the role of an error culture in enhancing patient safety.
• To discuss strategies for preventing, recognizing, and treating surgical complications.

Main Methods:

• Focus on systemic and structural error detection over individual blame.
• Utilizing validated tools for complication prevention, recognition, and treatment.
• Implementing team time-outs, standardized procedures, and morbidity and mortality conferences.

Main Results:

• Transparent processing of complications and systemic error analysis are preferred over shame and blame.
• Numerous tools exist for managing surgical complications effectively.
• Key measures for patient safety include team time-outs, standardized procedures, and M&M conferences.

Conclusions:

• A culture of open error reporting and transparent complication management is fundamental to improving patient safety.
• Systemic approaches to error detection are more effective than focusing on individual responsibility.
• Standardized, interdisciplinary management of complications using the failure to rescue concept is critical for preventing fatal outcomes.