This guide looks at medical errors and steps you can take to
protect yourself. A medical error is when a mistake is made that
can negatively affect the patient. Examples can include errors
in diagnosis or in a surgical procedure, mistakes in giving
medications or in the use of medical equipment,
misinterpretation of a test or lab results, and others. A
medical error can involve the failure to carry out a plan of
action or use of the wrong plan. An individual can cause the
error or it might happen because of a failure in the system.
Medical errors can take place in health care facilities,
pharmacies, your doctor’s office, and even in your home. They
can involve complex systems like how a hospital tracks the
medical services given to patients, or common tasks like giving
food high in salt to a patient who needs a salt-free diet. While
advances have improved medical care and extended the lives of
many people, the complexity of the American health care system
also contributes to medical errors. Poor communication