Surgery procedure mistakes and mishaps in healthcare facilities across the state have resulted in more deaths and injuries according to new data.
The Minnesota Department of Health's Patient Safety Program Director Rachel Jokela says another reason for the increase is that since the pandemic, patients have been admitted more often and for longer lengths of time.
"I think some of it can be, yes, attributed to more patients, more patient days, longer length of stay," says Jokela. "But also the healthcare system is stretched very right now."
Just last year 16 patients died from things like medication errors and device malfunctions.
She says while that number is a slight decrease from years past, more training within hospitals may be necessary to reduce the number of deaths overall.
"The health care system is stretched very thin right now," explained Jokela.
Both hospital training issues and over-arching systemic issues likely contributed the the problem that is made even worse by the nursing shortage according to the Department of Health.