Background: Human errors in healthcare delivery pose serious threats to patients undergoing treatment. While clinical concern is growing in response, there is need to report social and behavioural context of the problem in Nigeria. Objective: To examine patients' knowledge and perceived reactions to medical errors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 269 in-patients and 10 In-Depth Interviews were conducted among health caregivers in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Results: Majority (64.5%) of respondents reported annoyance and disappointment with medical errors. Severity of error (88.5%) and the perception of negligence mediated intention to litigate. Voluntary disclosure significantly reduced patients' intention to litigate caregivers (chi