Nursing discipline: epicentre of medical mistakes

Abstract

In 2000 the US Institute of Medicine disseminated its book To err is human which stated that every year more people die in the US due to clinical mistakes than to traffic accidents, breast cancer or AIDS (IOM, 2000). Later, similar studies were carried out in countries with different national health services, such as the UK and Australia, showing similar results. The analysis of the causes of these mistakes has focused on a quantitative perspective and a professional profile: doctors. This article focuses on an analysis of these causes from the perspective of the professional who spends longer with patients: nurses.

Keywords

• Error médico
• Error clínico
• Calidad total