Errors or mistakes committed by health professionals which result in harm to the patient.
They include errors in diagnosis (DIAGNOSTIC ERRORS), errors in the administration
of drugs and other medications (MEDICATION ERRORS), errors in the performance of surgical
procedures, in the use of other types of therapy, in the use of equipment, and in
the interpretation of laboratory findings. Medical errors are differentiated from
MALPRACTICE in that the former are regarded as honest mistakes or accidents while
the latter is the result of negligence, reprehensible ignorance, or criminal intent
Note générale sur le champ d'application :
coordinate with specific disease or procedure; do not confuse with MALPRACTICE