A team from the University of Adelaide and the Basil Hetzel Institute set out to uncover a troubling pattern hidden within Australia’s operating rooms. Between 2012 and 2019, thousands of people underwent major surgeries general, cardiothoracic, orthopedic, vascular, and neurosurgical procedures. But behind many of the resulting deaths was not surgical skill or technology failure, but something far more human: non-technical errors. Using data from the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality, the team examined 3,422 surgical care-related deaths flagged for adverse events or areas of concern.
These cases represented 92.6% of all flagged deaths within five major specialties. What they discovered was striking at least half of the deaths (52.2–68.5%) were associated with failures in decision-making, communication, teamwork, leadership, or situational awareness. General surgery…
