Abstract
Recently, rate of medical malpractice claim and file a law suit on the medical adverse events are
increasing. The primary etiology of claims and filing were adverse medical events which caused by either
preventable medical error or mishap. No one wants adverse event occurred. In the past ten years after the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported the facts of medical errors in “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer
Health System”, health care personals have been deeply concerned with and have tried to improve their
practice for patient safety worldwide. However, there are still many medical errors in recent years and
will inevitably occur in the future. So, health care providers should learn how to manage and disclose
when the medical errors occur. Several studies have proved that disclosure of medical error have taken
more benefits than risks. The main benefits are decreased in filing rate, decreased in payments for adverse
events, and maintenance of doctor and patient relationships with trust. Disclosure of medical error is the
process which closely related to the incident report system. The importance of full open disclosure to the
patient after medical error occurrence will significantly increase in the future for patient’s safety and
should be simultaneously integrated into the mediation system.
