In the first study of its kind in this country, Otago anatomy department researchers analysed 5227 treatment injury claims accepted by ACC in 2009.
The research, led by PhD student Abigail Moore and Prof Mark Stringer, identified 313 ACC claims involving inadvertent nerve injuries occurring during medical treatment.
Two-thirds of these occurred in patients undergoing surgery, with an equal split between public and private hospitals, they found.
Ms Moore hoped the study would help further raise awareness among health professionals of accidental nerve injury.
She hoped clinicians would read the study and "take a moment to reflect" on how they might go about preventing such injuries in their specialty.
The findings, which were published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, were "of national significance".
They were also notable internationally in offering a "most comprehensive description" of the spectrum of such nerve injuries occurring in a range of health settings, in a single year.
The research found the most common cause of nerve injury was when a patient was incorrectly positioned on the operating table under general anaesthesia.
The puncturing of veins, including for drawing off blood and inserting intravenous fluid lines, was the second most common cause of accidental nerve injury shown in the study.
The most common context of such injuries was orthopaedic surgery (33.5%), followed by general surgery (8.9%), phlebotomy services, involving taking blood from veins (8.3%), and dentistry (6.4%).
"Many of these injuries are minor with no persistent symptoms, but sometimes they cause pain and paralysis and can be very distressing," she said.
More than a quarter of patients' return to work was delayed by the injury, and about 1 in 10 was referred to a surgeon for treatment.
Accidental nerve injuries happened in all modern healthcare systems. Some could not be avoided, but many injuries could be prevented by greater awareness of which nerves were damaged and in what procedures, she said.
john.gibb@odt.co.nz
