According to Joint Commission findings, what is a primary cause of wrong-site surgery?

Wrong-site surgery is a high-severity, preventable event. Joint Commission analyses repeatedly identifycommunication failuresas a leading root cause—breakdowns in scheduling, consent/site verification, handoffs, and intraoperative confirmation. Risk management objectives therefore emphasize standardized verification systems: correct patient/procedure/site documentation, pre-op verification, surgical site marking, and a robust time-out performed with full team engagement. Communication failures can include ambiguous documentation, incorrect or incomplete handoff information, and hierarchy barriers that prevent speaking up. Improving communication reduces reliance on memory and individual vigilance and increases system reliability. In addition, organizations must audit compliance, address workarounds, and strengthen team empowerment so any member can stop the line if a mismatch is detected.