A medical error is a preventable mistake in healthcare that may cause harm to a patient. These errors can occur in hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, or during home care. Medical errors may involve wrong diagnoses, incorrect medications, surgical mistakes, communication failures, or delayed treatment. They are considered a major challenge in healthcare systems around the world because they can affect patient safety, increase healthcare costs, and reduce trust in medical professionals.
Medication errors happen when patients receive the wrong medicine, incorrect dosage, or improper instructions. These mistakes may occur during prescribing, dispensing, or administration of drugs. Diagnostic errors occur when a disease or condition is wrongly diagnosed, diagnosed too late, or not diagnosed at all. Such errors can delay treatment and worsen a patient’s condition.
