The Slim Book of Health Pearls: The Prevention of Medical Errors

A medical error occurs when a healthcare provider chooses an improper method of care, or inappropriately executes a correct method of care. Medical errors result in death and disability.
More often than not, the medical error results from a system failure, a lack of coordination amongst those responsible for delivering patient care.
The Institute of Medicine estimates between 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year result from medical errors.