WA surgery deaths fall

A dramatic fall in the number of surgery-related deaths in WA hospitals in the past decade has been linked to an independent audit of mistakes in which some surgeons initially refused to take part.

A report in the Medical Journal of Australia showed the number of deaths under the care of a surgeon fell 30 per cent between January 2002 and December 2011, when the WA Audit of Surgical Mortality carried out annual audits of all adverse events and errors.

The number of deaths peaked at 740 in 2006 before falling to 572 in 2011, with investigators finding adverse events caused deaths in 5 per cent of cases. Deaths were considered "definitely preventable" in one per cent of cases.

The report coincides with the audit's latest report, which shows 584 deaths from 35 WA hospitals were reported last year, with the investigators finding 50 per cent more areas of concern or adverse events than surgeons themselves.

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, which carries out the audit, said some surgeons had refused to co-operate or return any forms in audits in previous years, including four surgeons last year. By last month all had signed up, but only after the college made participation compulsory in order for surgeons to maintain their professional development which is needed for them to stay registered.

A separate survey of senior surgeons showed more than three-quarters had changed the way they practised because of feedback from the auditors.

The MJA research, headed by Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital surgeon James Aitken, found having an external review of surgery-related deaths in hospitals had improved care in areas such as emergency and elective surgery, deep vein thrombosis prevention and fluid management.

"We found a surgical mortality audit can change practice and improve outcomes," the doctors wrote in the MJA.

"Those who pay for health care - governments - and those who use it - the public - want to know what they are purchasing and using."