Abstract

Medical errors are acts or omissions committed by healthcare professionals that can lead to adverse events, which are defined as injuries or conditions caused by medical treatments rather than the disease itself, they have been one of the leading causes of death in the United States and constitute a serious and complex problem affecting the healthcare system, leading to devastating health consequences for patients and economic loss for healthcare facilities (to err is human). This paper aims to explore medical errors, their types, causes, consequences as well as strategies to prevent them, such as patient—provider communication, continuous training and the implementation of new technology tools and reporting systems, focusing in a multidisciplinary approach to create a safe environment where healthcare providers feel comfortable reporting errors and not threatened; it highlights the need to foster a patient safety based culture, and the importance of the ethics committees when navigating a medical error. This document also delves into diagnostic error, its causes and consequences, as well as strategies to prevent it; ethical considerations, legal liability, and the crucial role that communication, training, and technology play in improving patient safety are discussed, highlighting the need to foster a culture of patient safety and the fundamental role of ethics committees in the management of medical errors.

Keywords: Medical errors, Patient safety, Diagnostic error, Human factors, Healthcare quality, Malpractice liability, Ethics committees