Which of the following is an example of a never event?

Which of the following is an example of a never event?

• A. Retained surgical item
• B. Wrong-site surgery
• C. Suicide while admitted
• D. Medication error

Answer: (A)

Never events are serious, preventable injuries or complications in healthcare that should never occur if safety steps are followed. A retained surgical item—a sponge or instrument left inside a patient after surgery—fits this idea perfectly. There are clear safeguards to stop this, like careful instrument and sponge counting, a mandated surgical time-out, and verification before closing. When a retained item happens, it signals a breakdown of those safeguards and typically requires an additional procedure to remove it, causing harm that could have been avoided. That unmistakable preventability is what makes it the quintessential never event. The other options are grave safety concerns too, but they’re not the classic example of a never event. Wrong-site surgery is a preventable, serious error often discussed as a sentinel event. Suicide while admitted is also a sentinel safety issue, and medication errors are important to prevent, but they’re not categorized as never events in most definitions.

Never events are serious, preventable injuries or complications in healthcare that should never occur if safety steps are followed. A retained surgical item—a sponge or instrument left inside a patient after surgery—fits this idea perfectly. There are clear safeguards to stop this, like careful instrument and sponge counting, a mandated surgical time-out, and verification before closing. When a retained item happens, it signals a breakdown of those safeguards and typically requires an additional procedure to remove it, causing harm that could have been avoided. That unmistakable preventability is what makes it the quintessential never event.

The other options are grave safety concerns too, but they’re not the classic example of a never event. Wrong-site surgery is a preventable, serious error often discussed as a sentinel event. Suicide while admitted is also a sentinel safety issue, and medication errors are important to prevent, but they’re not categorized as never events in most definitions.