Association of Perceived Medical Errors With Resident Distress and Empathy

Abstract

Medical errors and patient safety are an important concern for patients and physicians. Medical errors have received increased attention since 1999, when the Institute of Medicine reported that up to 100 000 US patients die each year because of preventable adverse events.¹ The proportion of hospitalized patients affected by medical errors has been estimated to be 5% to 10%,^2-6 although it has approached 50% in some studies.^7,8 The morbidity, mortality, and financial costs of these events may be great.^9-13