Common Types of Medical Errors: Warning Signs and FAQ

Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. As healthcare professionals often see several patients at a time, missteps in the care process can happen despite efforts to deliver quality care. For facility leaders, understanding common types of medical errors can provide insight on how to better support your staff and minimize the risk of these occurrences.

The types of errors that occur in healthcare can range widely, many of which can be avoided through proper safety practices. We’ll walk through the causes and warning signs of medical errors and answer frequently asked questions to help you improve response and prevention measures at your facility.

What Are the Top 5 Medical Errors? Causes and Warning Signs

1. Medication Errors

You may be wondering, What is the most common type of medical error? According to health experts, medication errors are the most frequently occurring yet preventable error, leading to 7,000 to 9,000 deaths each year. Medication errors can involve delivering the wrong drug, giving an incorrect dosage, or using the wrong route of administration.

Common causes: Incorrect labeling or packaging, lack of involvement from pharmacists, misplaced or incorrectly stored medications, lack of medication checks, incorrect measurements (e.g., weight) to calculate dosages

Warning signs: Patient identifier that doesn’t match the medication label, abnormally high medication dose, patient questioning use of medication, medication that does not align with standard practices for patient’s condition

2. Diagnostic Errors

Among the different types of medical errors, statistics also show that diagnostic errors are very common, accounting for up to 17% of adverse events in hospital settings. A diagnostic error can be defined as “the failure to identify the correct cause of a patient’s condition in a timely manner.” These typically fall into three different categories:

• Delayed diagnosis — A diagnosis that could and should have been made earlier

• Wrong diagnosis — An original diagnosis that is later found to be incorrect

• Missed diagnosis — A diagnosis that was never identified upon assessment

Common causes: Lack of information given by patient, prematurely diagnosing conditions, incorrect order of laboratory tests, failure to follow-up or refer patients

Warning signs: Inconsistencies in lab tests and/or other diagnostic tests, symptoms that don’t support a diagnosis, cognitive biases in diagnosing patients based on similar cases

3. Surgical Errors

Roughly 4,000 surgical errors occur each year, also making this one of the most frequently occurring medical errors in healthcare. Common surgical errors include operating on the wrong body part and accidental lacerations or injuries during the procedure.

Common causes: Lack of surgical training, lack of adherence to protocols, poor communication between the surgeon and patient/healthcare team, rushing to finish cases

Warning signs: Unexplainable and sudden changes in vital signs (e.g., high fever, drop in blood pressure), inconsistencies or ambiguities on consent forms, redness or abnormally colored fluid at surgical site

4. Device and Equipment Errors

There are thousands of different medical devices used to support care delivery each day. From pacemakers and ventilators to feeding tubes and blood pressure cuffs, the wide range of equipment used by staff can make way for common errors in application or use.

Common causes: Inadequate equipment testing or maintenance, lack of staff training, poorly designed interface, adoption of new devices without proper education

Warning signs: Readings contrasting with the patient’s condition or physical assessment, tangled tubes or wires, equipment acting or sounding different than usual

5. Documentation Errors

These types of medical errors can occur across various health settings. While electronic health records help streamline patient charting, healthcare staff may sometimes record information in the wrong charts, paste incorrect text, or forget to record pertinent information altogether.

Common causes: Documentation burden among staff, illegible handwriting on paper documents, using wrong abbreviations, delays in charting information

Warning signs: Unexplained inconsistencies across a patient’s health records, blank fields in a patient’s chart, treatment orders that don’t align with the patient’s condition

How Should Staff Respond to Medical Errors?

If you’re a healthcare staff member who finds that a near miss or medical error has occurred, it’s best to get ahead of it as soon as possible. Understand that these instances can happen, sometimes despite your best efforts to deliver great care.

It’s important to be upfront and honest. Communicate the error to patients, their families, and all relevant members of the healthcare team. This will help issues get resolved quickly and prevent any further harm from happening.

How Should Facilities Respond to Medical Errors?

Facilities should have a clear reporting protocol for staff to document near misses or medical errors quickly. This information should also be analyzed and acted on to prevent future cases. Also, provide resources and support for staff involved in the incident and be prepared to offer any necessary compensation to the affected patients and families.

How Can Medical Errors Be Prevented?

There are many steps you can take to help prevent medical errors and promote a culture of safety at your facility. Follow these evidence-based measures to support the delivery of precise and accurate care among your staff:

• Use two-factor patient-identification methods for medications and procedures.
• Utilize safety checklists for any surgeries and patient hand-offs.
• Implement standard protocols for medication administration and medical devices.
• Provide ongoing staff education and training on best care practices and nursing implications.
• Upgrade your documentation system by utilizing or optimizing EHR systems.
• Encourage open and consistent communication among your healthcare team.

Find More Ways to Deliver Safe and Quality Care

Now that you’ve learned ways to address common types of medical errors, you may be wondering how to uphold other safety standards. Get IntelyCare’s free newsletter today and don’t miss out on other helpful tips, strategies, and guides geared toward facility leaders.