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Table 1 Participants' perceived definitions of medical errors

From: A survey of community members' perceptions of medical errors in Oman

Serial No.

Definition categories

Definitions given by participants

Number (%)

1

Wrong prescription/dispensing of medication

Wrong medication

93 (34)

2

Wrong diagnosis

Wrong diagnosis

73 (26.5)

3

Doctors' technical in-competence

Wrong surgery

36 (13)

  

Technical incompetence*

10 (3.6)

  

Lack of doctor's experience*

7 (3)

4

Other staff technical in-competence (nurses and pharmacist)

Giving wrong injection

11 (4)

  

Pharmacist incompetence*

4 (1)

5

Others

Errors by doctors

5 (2)

  

Forgotten surgical items

2 (0.7)

  

Wrong vaccination

2 (0.7)

  

IV canula left in site for 25 days

1 (0.4)

  

Error in first aid

1 (0.4)

  

Wrong BP reading

1 (0.4)

  

Wrong procedure

1 (0.4)

  

Doctor ignorance*

14 (5)

  

Poor staff attitude*

4 (1)

  

Not updating patients*

2 (0.7)

  

Faulty equipment*

1 (0.4)

  

Doctors overload*

1 (0.4)

  

Slowness in giving care*

1 (0.4)

  

Nurses ignorance*

1 (0.4)

  

Wrong information by the patient+

1 (0.4)

  

Not following doctors advise+

1 (0.4)

  

Intake of un-prescribed medicine+

1 (0.4)

  

Intake of herbal medicine+

1 (0.4)

Total

  

275

  1. Percents are out of total number (275). Please notice that some participants gave more than one definition.
  2. * Causes of medical errors
  3. + Patient-related factor