Although it is sometimes thought that health professionals are perfect beings, this is not really the case. Although they study for many years and have a high level of preparation, in the end they are human. For this reason, at any time they can make a mistake when carrying out their activities. In most cases it is not on purpose and is even generated by external factors. But regardless of the cause, medical errors are quite serious and can lead to death in patients.
Failures that can cost lives
To get an idea of the impact, the World Health Organization (WHO) points out that each year this type of failure causes 2.6 million deaths. In addition, there are 138 million people who are affected by various types and although some are temporary, others can become irreversible.
Now, even if all the measures are taken at any time, medical errors can occur. Something as recurrent as the fatigue caused by the guards is enough to expose the health workers.
Similarly, when hospitals have old and obsolete equipment, it is difficult to offer optimal service to patients. Although if there is a failure in a machine, the doctor in charge is immediately responsible.
For all the above, the WHO designated September 17 as the World Patient Safety Day. The goal is to promote good practice among all health professionals. In this way, it seeks to reduce the deaths of patients caused by this type of failure.
In this sense, the WHO itself points out that the three main medical errors that are reported and in which doctors have a direct responsibility are: failures in diagnosis, in the prescription of treatments and inappropriate use of the drugs that are prescribed to the patients.
In a more practical way, some examples of this type of error can be seen in the application of drugs in ways that are not indicated; errors in blood transfusions or obtaining X-rays and mistakes in indicating which limb should be amputated or which side of the brain should be operated on.
The current panorama in Mexico
On the other hand, in the case of our country, the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) is the federal institution that receives the most recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) for failures in care. In 2018 alone, there were 4,443 complaints filed by patients. The main reasons They were: failure to provide medical care (1,576), medical negligence (489) and failure to supply medications (454).