The Rhode Island Department of Health is investigating a mistake during oral surgery at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence.
It was the fifth reported surgical mistake at a Lifespan hospital in the past five years.
The hospital said in a statement that the mistake happened Monday when a surgeon began operating on the wrong part of the mouth of a patient who had a cleft palate.
The mistake was caught during the operation and the surgical team was able perform the correct procedure, the statement said.
The hospital said it has apologized to the patient and the family. The patient was reported in good condition, and the hospital said no complications are expected.
The surgeon and the surgical team were placed on administrative leave, pending the results of an investigation.
A hospital executive said Hasbro Children's Hospital has policies and procedures to minimize the risk of medical errors.
"Unfortunately, the preliminary investigation indicates that at least one of our standard policies was not followed; this type of behavior is not in keeping with Hasbro’s own high standards and is not acceptable," Dr. Timothy Babineau, the president and CEO of Rhode Island Hospital, said in the statement.
It was the fifth mistake at a Lifespan hospital since 2004.
"I think they've been taking some steps, but we're looking to see if they've been moving fast enough," said Dr. David Gifford, the director of the state Department of Health.
In 2004, there was an anesthesiology mistake at The Miriam Hospital. A cardiac catheter was inserted on the wrong side. In 2007, there were two wrong-site surgical mistakes at Rhode Island Hospital involving neurosurgery. And last fall, doctors operated on the wrong knee of a patient at The Miriam.
Legislation passed last year encourages all hospitals in Rhode Island to report near misses.
"At the last surgery, the surgical pen markings washed off, but no one is reporting those. That's a near miss. In this scenario, if in a mouth where there can't be a marking, that should be a near miss. Someone should report it up, and they should revise their policy for that," Gifford said.
By reporting near misses, Gifford said he believes deficiencies can be discoverd beforehand and mistakes in the operating room can be avoided.
Health officials said all hospitals are on board with the idea of reporting near misses. It just needs to be put in place.
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