The Perspectives of Medical Errors in the Health Care Industry

Abstract

This chapter presents the overview of medical errors; drug prescription errors and prescribing; the overview of medical error disclosure; medical errors and telemedicine; medical errors and medical education; the overview of nursing medication errors; and the aspects of medical errors in the health care industry. Reducing medical errors, increasing patient safety, and improving the quality of health care are the major goals in the health care industry. Medical errors are caused by mistakes in drug prescription, dosing, and medical administration in inpatient and outpatient settings. Heath care-related guidelines, institutional safety practices, and modern health care technologies must be applied in hospitals, clinics, and medical offices to reduce the occurrence of medical errors. The chapter argues that understanding the perspectives of medical errors has the potential to enhance health care performance and reach strategic goals in the health care industry.