Adverse Events Part 5

Of course, unanticipated outcomes do occur. System failures, suboptimal clinician performance, equipment malfunctions, etc., may contribute. However, even when the standard of care is met, many factors may lead to unanticipated outcomes, including disease progression, unreasonable patient expectations, anatomic or biological variability, rare (but known) complications, and mistaken clinical judgments (without negligence). ^[4]

[4] Hickson G, Jenkins AD. Identifying and addressing communication failures as a means of reducing unnecessary malpractice claims. NC Med J. 2007;68(5):362-364.