The moral and ethical issues are similar (Frezza, 2018). It is morally right to report any medical errors as soon as they occur in the healthcare facilities no matter the person who is at fault. However, ethically, it is essential to report any medical error because they can cause harm to the patient. But legally it should be reported to the relevant authorities since it might be due to the negligence of the medical staff (Tigard, 2019). For instance, there have been numerous instances where medication gets incorrectly labeled at the packaging stage. It is vital that all parties involved such as patient’s family and the patient in the drug are informed about the error even if someone is at fault because it can lead to harmful effects to the patient (Woodrow, Colbert & Smith, 2010). The patient should always come first; the doctors and nurses have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the patient. The medical staff should not hide any error since people are more forgiving if they realized the truth than if they are kept in the dark.

References

Frezza, E. (2018). Medical Ethics: A Reference Guide for Guaranteeing Principled Care and Quality. Productivity Press.

Tigard, D. W. (2019). Taking the blame: appropriate responses to medical error. Journal of medical ethics, 45(2), 101-105.

Woodrow, R., Colbert, B., & Smith, D. M. (2010). Essentials of pharmacology for health occupations. Cengage Learning.