.

I'd be curious whether Israelis have developed this technology because there's a higher rate of misplaced surgical instruments at Hadassah Hospital than at Mass General, or just because it's just a really smart idea. The amount of equipment temporarily inserted into the human body during complex operations, from large retractors to tiny scalpels to surgical towels, can be huge. All these instruments must be counted and accounted for, both before and after the procedure. This is not only tedious - it introduces the opportunity for human error. Retained surgical instruments are a complication that occurs in the U.S. as well as Israel, more frequently than you'd like to believe.

I find the perfection that Americans expect from medical professionals interesting. As careful as we may be, it stands to reason that any time you can remove the capacity for human error, patient safety is improved. Because doctors and nurses are human, and even if our patients expect otherwise, we're not perfect.