Mexican Perspectives on Adverse Events in Healthcare and Pain Management

ABSTRACT

Adverse events due to medical staff errors are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. One important aspect of this serious public health issue is mismanagement of pain, particularly pain associated to acute coronary events or cancer. In recent years, there has been increased awareness among international heath care communities on the importance of recognizing and reducing the mistakes committed on a daily basis in practically all medical settings. Unfortunately, most investigation and prevention programs are not designed around any theoretical framework on human error. Mistakes are rarely seen as a symptom of a larger problem. Rather than seeking to correct the root cause, the majority of situations are resolved on a case-by-case basis making it difficult to establish a cohesive prevention system. We suggest that future efforts should place emphasis on developing a uniform method of error detection and prevention, as well as improving and maintaining the patient–physician relationship. Medical education should be valued over litigation.