M09.06.006 Types of medical errors

Medical errors are significant issues within healthcare that can affect patient safety and outcomes. These errors can arise from various aspects of patient care, including diagnosis, treatment, and communication. Below is a structured overview of the different types of medical errors, their characteristics, and their implications for patient safety.

Categories of Medical Errors

1. Patient Identification Errors

• Description: Errors related to incorrect patient identification can lead to inappropriate treatment or procedures.
• Examples: Administering medication to the wrong patient.

2. Diagnostic Errors

• Description: Mistakes in diagnosing a patient’s condition can lead to improper treatment and delayed care.
• Examples: Misinterpretation of lab results or imaging studies.

3. Monitoring Errors

• Description: Failure to adequately monitor a patient’s condition can result in adverse outcomes.
• Examples: Not noticing changes in vital signs or lab values.

4. Nosocomial Infections

• Description: Infections acquired in healthcare settings that can complicate treatment.
• Examples: Hospital-acquired pneumonia, and surgical site infections.

5. Medication Errors

• Description: Mistakes related to the prescribing, dispensing, or administering of medications.
• Examples: Wrong dosage, incorrect drug, or failure to account for drug interactions.

6. Procedural Errors

• Description: Errors that occur during medical procedures.
• Examples: Performing the wrong procedure or incorrect surgical technique.

7. Device-related Errors

• Description: Errors involving medical devices that can impact patient safety.
• Examples: Incorrect IV pump settings or malfunctioning equipment.

8. Documentation Errors

• Description: Inaccurate or incomplete medical records that can lead to misunderstandings and errors in care.
• Examples: Missing allergy information or mislabeling of samples.

9. Handoff Errors

• Description: Miscommunication during the transfer of patient care from one provider to another.
• Examples: Incomplete information sharing leading to a misunderstanding of the patient’s condition.

Types of Errors by Impact

Active Errors

• Definition: Errors that occur at the frontline operator level.
• Characteristics: Immediate impact on patient care.
• Example: Programming the wrong dose on an IV pump.

Latent Errors

• Definition: Errors that occur in processes removed from direct patient care but ultimately affect patient safety.
• Characteristics: Often represent systemic issues; accidents waiting to happen.
• Example: Using different types of IV pumps within the same hospital leading to confusion.

Never Events

• Definition: Serious, preventable adverse events that should never occur in healthcare settings.
• Characteristics: Identifiable, serious, and usually preventable.
• Example: Retaining a scalpel in a surgical patient’s abdomen.

Points to Remember

• Medical errors can arise from various areas of patient care, including diagnosis, medication, and procedural mistakes.
• Active errors have immediate impacts, while latent errors can indicate underlying systemic issues.
• Never events are critical errors that should be avoided at all costs.
• Transparency and disclosure of medical errors to patients are essential, regardless of the outcome.

Summary Table

Bibliography Reference Links

1. Institute of Medicine (IOM). (1999). To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System.
2. World Health Organization (WHO). (2009). Conceptual Framework for the International Classification for Patient Safety.
3. The Joint Commission. (2015). Sentinel Event Data – Root Causes by Event Type.
4. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (2019). Medical Errors and Adverse Events.