Abstract

AMORES AGULLA, Tania  and  MARRERO QUESADA, José Ángel. Medical malpractice in the operating room. Rev Cubana Cir [online]. 2015, vol.54, n.2, pp. 187-194. ISSN 1561-2945.

The medical malpractice represents a global health problem, even in the best hospitals of the world. Twenty six bibliographic references, both national and international, were consulted about the topic, with the objective of determining the current situation of the medical errors in the operating room. Medical practice has its inherent risks since the human nature makes it impossible to be totally error-free. The most common errors in medical practice are wrong administration of drugs, uncertain diagnoses, technical failures (inadequate, incomplete and/or incorrect procedures) and delays in the operating room. The most frequent causes comprise tiredness, hurry, lack of knowledge and others. Prevention is possible and a number of strategies have been applied by the various health systems: encouraging the teamwork, strengthening the physician and the paramedic staff training, avoiding just trust on one´s memory by using checking lists, standardizing procedures and protocols and creating the culture of voluntary reporting errors. The error should be used as a possibility of learning in order to improve the quality of care and thus the patient´s safety.

Keywords : medical error; adverse event; incompetence; malpractice.

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