Preventing Harm in Dentistry
As dental procedures become more sophisticated, potential risks to patients also increase. Adverse events are unintended or harmful incidents that occur during the delivery of dental care, resulting in patient harm or injury. They are the result of medical errors, system failures, or a combination of factors and may cause injury, disability, or even death. Many of these errors occur with regularity in the dental setting, making prevention a priority.
Ethics and Jurisprudence
Healthcare professionals demonstrate their commitment to patient safety by adhering to ethical values that promote the highest level of practice, including:1-3 nonmaleficence: do no harm; beneficence: doing good and acting in the best interest of others; justice: treating people with fairness and impartiality; veracity: being truthful; autonomy: respecting individuals’ rights to make their own decisions without coercion; confidentiality: keeping each patient’s information private; and trust: acting with integrity to engender trust among patients.
* References and figures can be found in the original article via the link above.
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