Medical errors, drug-related problems, and medication errors: a literature review on quality of care and cost issues.

Medical errors have received a great deal of attention in recent years. The phrase medical errors is an umbrella term for all errors that occur within the health care system, including mishandled surgeries, diagnostic errors, equipment failures, and medication errors. This article is a review and discussion of the literature on the scope of medical errors, with a focus on drug-related problems and medication errors. Cost and quality ideas for addressing these issues are provided.