Economic aspects of medical errors.

The critical problem of medical errors and the associated costs has recently been increasingly in the focus of attention of a number of world renowned experts. In the present article we review in detail and analyse the economic aspects of this problem. A methodology to assess the cost of medical errors and an algorithm for their prevention are presented. The cost of a medical error and the expenses required to avoid and prevent it are compared using graphical analysis of the prevention cost curve and the medical error compensation damages cost curve.