Medical error: The nature and frequency of errors in Family Medicine - A descriptive study

Abstract

Purpose of the Study: Understanding the current situation in relation to potential errors that may occur in general practice, in a Primary Health Care setting, in Portugal, with the purpose of demonstrating the type of errors and identifying risks in a patients circuit within the unit. Methodology: The method used for this study was descriptive, using as reference Primary Care International Study of Medical Errors (PCISME), 2001, directed by the Robert Graham Center of the American Academy of Family Physicians, who invited researchers from six countries to participate (Australia, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States). Error is defined as anything that you identify as something wrong, to be avoided in the future. Main Results Attained: From the sample made up of 20 General Practitioners, 8 of them reported a total of 40 errors, which were classified according to the assessment categories, which emerged from the PCISME study. The levels of classification refers to Errors in office administration - 47,50%; Investigation errors - 25,00%; Treatment errors - 5,00%; Communication errors - 15,00%; knowledge and skills errors - 5,00%; Other errors - 2,50%. Conclusions: The errors reported by Family Physicians in this study may be classified within those reported by physicians in the beginning of the present decade. All of these are referred in the international study PCISME, which has been the basis for several studies at international level, concerning the issue of patient safety in primary care.