Number of serious hospital mistakes in Mass. unchanged in 2010

By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff

The total number of Massachusetts hospital patients who had the wrong body part operated on, received an erroneous medication, or were seriously disabled or died from a fall remained essentially unchanged in 2010 compared with the previous year, according to hospital safety data released today by state regulators.

In all, 510 patients suffered from a so-called serious reportable event in 2009 compared with 512 in 2010, according to the numbers released by the state Department of Public Health.

The department’s projected totals for 2011, based on reports received for the first six months of the year, show the numbers dropping to a total of 434.

The reporting process is intended to help regulators and hospital administrators gain a greater understanding of how serious medical errors happen and how they can be prevented, regulators said.

The numbers show that while falls continue to account for the largest single share of serious events, the number of falls is declining, from 199 in 2009 to an estimated 178 for this year.

Another area of concern for regulators is pressure sores, and the data show the number essentially unchanged, from 65 reported in 2009 to 64 projected for 2011.

The department did not release data for each individual hospital.