Elimination of punitive outcomes and criminalization of medical errors

Purpose of reviewThe penalization of error in the health field continues to be one of the main barriers in the notification, analysis and proposals for measures to improve adverse events. Strategies should be established in order to develop a nonpunitive culture with the sole purpose of learning from mistakes and improving patient safety.Recent findingsStrategies are established for the development of a nonpunitive culture, such as promoting confidentiality and data protection in the notification and analysis of adverse events.SummaryDespite education, improvements in quality and safety in healthcare, mistakes will undoubtedly occur. The creation of a protected, blame-free environment that promotes systematic reporting of adverse events will provide valuable information for preventive work and the desired improvement in patient and health team safety.