I have written here before about wrong side/wrong site surgery as an ongoing problem in our nation’s hospitals. The problem was brought home to me during a recent physical therapy session I had to work on a modest exercise-related injury. The therapist recounted how on occasion one of the Pat’s would start working on the wrong side of the body, and how “more often than you would think,” the patient says nothing. No big deal in a physical therapy session – very big deal with surgery. Wrong-side/wrong-site surgery is medical malpractice with no exceptions. And while patients are not responsible to prevent negligent medicine, the reality is that patients can minimize the risk of wrong side/wrong-site surgery by insisting that the surgeon mark the site of the surgery before the patient is sedated. An excellent piece on CBSnews.com reminds us that the effort to reduce medical malpractice is ongoing. It seems that after several years of significant progress, we have reached a plateau. Another article, in the San Francisco Chronicle illustrates the difficulty with quick change of embedded practices – even if those practices harm patients. Patients who are aware of key medical error risks can at least do what they can – which is generally insisting on clear communication with their Surgeon – to protect themselves.