Medical and bioethical dilemma in case of medical error

Abstract

Introduction. In Republic of Moldova, the medical error is encountered more often than we think. This isn’t known because every day, people are forced to keep silent about some irregularities, and this may affect both, the patient and the medical staff. Annually, the number of cases of medical errors that had been reported is unrealistically low. Even the law does not come to the aid of people affected by malpractice, error or mistake, as all these terms are covered by the term of medical error. Aim of the study. Detecting the actual prevalence of medical errors and the level of protection available to patients. Materials and methods. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 20 medical workers. Data was collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire, consisting of two parts: demographic information and questions about the level of protection perceived by medical workers and their role in solving medical errors that they witnessed. Results. From the analysis of the questionnaires we found that 69% of the medical workers surveyed witnessed at least one case of medical error. As a result of this error, no action was taken in 71% of cases and 23% of cases ended in a harsh reprimand. This may be a consequence of the fact that in more than half of the cases, even patients or their relatives did not notice that a violation had occurred to them, and if they did, most of them overlooked it. Even in the context of the legislation, there was not much data, with 55% saying that the state is not taking sufficient measures to prevent or cases of medical errors. Conclusions. 1. The number of medical errors exceeds expectations. 2. The population does not have sufficient medical education to detect some medical violations. 3. Preventing and combating the majority of medical violations is legally impossible. 4. Although medical workers would like to combat medical errors or mistakes, it is not only up to them, the change must occur at a social and political level.