1Department of Chinese Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
2Department of Chinese Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
3Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taipei City Hospital, Renai Branch, aipei,Taiwan
4Institute of Public Health, National Yangming University, Taipei, Taiwan
【Summary】
Objective: Retained needles after acupuncture is a common adverse event after acupuncture. It may cause medical disputes and endanger the safety of patients and health practitioners. The present study aims to explore the location, timing, and diagnosis of retained needles after acupuncture.
Methods: We counted the number of retained needles during January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2016, in a medical center in Tainan city, and analyzed the acupoints, primary diagnosis, persons who first discovered the failed removing needle, and occurred month.
Results: The most common areas of retained needles events were the upper limbs. Most discoverers were a nurse. June, August, September, and October were the most common months of retained needles events. Above all the acupoints, most retained needles events occurred at DU20, LI11, SI3, LI15. Most of the events occurred in stroke patients.
Conclusions: We suggest that improving the quality of pre-service education,establishing standard operating procedures and multiple confirmation mechanisms could reduce the incidence rate of retained needles after acupuncture. We also encourage health practitioners to maintain excellent communication with inpatients.
【Keywords】Retained needle, acupuncture, medical disputes, patient safety incident
222.1 住院会诊针灸遗漏针探讨
