Editing Medical error (section)

{{Short description|Preventable adverse effect of medical care}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Globalize|article|USA|2name=the United States|date=December 2010}}
{{Patients sidebar}}
A '''medical error''' is a preventable [[Adverse effect (medicine)|adverse effect]] of care ("[[iatrogenesis]]"), whether or not it is evident or harmful to the patient. This might include an inaccurate or incomplete [[Diagnosis (medical)|diagnosis]] or [[therapy|treatment]] of a [[disease]], [[injury]], [[syndrome]], [[behavior]], [[infection]], or other ailments.

The incidence of medical errors varies depending on the setting. The World Health Organization has named adverse outcomes due to patient care that is unsafe as the 14th causes of disability and death in the world, with an estimated 1/300 people may be harmed by healthcare practices around the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=World Health Organization |date=2019 |title=Patient safety - Health Topics |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/patient-safety |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref>