SAFE SURGERY AND ADVERSE EVENTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW OF THE MAIN CAUSES

Abstract

Patient safety is a topic that has been the focus of discussions worldwide. Several efforts have been made to make professionals aware of the need to expand the safety culture in their institutions. This study aims to present the main causes of adverse events in surgeries. Methodologically, this is a narrative literature review research, whose research problem is: what are the main causes of adverse events in surgeries? For its development, the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo) databases were used. The search took place in June and July 2023. The data were constructed through recognition, exploratory, selective, reflective and interpretive readings. In the results, it is pointed out that the occurrence of an adverse event may be related to many contributors, such as: the environment, the behavior or the influence of those who play an important role in its appearance, increasing the chance of causing damage. It is concluded that the main causes related to adverse events in surgeries are related to failures in communication, especially between the nursing team and medical team. There is also a shortage of professionals, which promotes professional overload and contributes to the occurrence of adverse events.