Errors and Biases in Modern Healthcare: Public Health, Medico-legal and Risk Management Aspects

Preventing errors and governing their consequences is one of the most important challenges in modern healthcare. The field of healthcare is currently grapping with the complexities of errors and biases that arise from both human and technological sources. The trade-off between organizational-targeted and human-targeted interventions to prevent these errors is complicated by the role that may be played by individual (e.g., cognitive) failures and by the evidence that error in medicine is often not a random event, tending to recur in some professionals. Recent studies have highlighted the non-random nature of medical errors, suggesting that certain professionals may be more prone to recurring mistakes. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare introduces new challenges, such as communication of risks and patient engagement, and new kinds of "errors" (biases) that have different causes and thus require different solutions. Despite ongoing efforts to address these issues, there remains a significant gap in understanding the root causes of these errors and biases, as well as the effectiveness of various interventions.

This research topic aims to collect sound evidence regarding the root causes of errors and biases in modern healthcare and the impact of potential adaptive responses or interventions in terms of incidence of errors and their individual, psychological, occupational, organizational, ethical, legal, and economical consequences. The primary objective is to explore how the risk of errors and biases impacts modern healthcare and to identify cost-effective strategies to mitigate these risks. Additionally, the research seeks to understand how these risks are reshaping the relationship and communication between healthcare professionals and patients, and to uncover the underlying causes of errors and biases in the healthcare system.

To gather further insights in the realm of errors and biases in modern healthcare, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- The impact of errors and biases on individual, legal, ethical, psychological, occupational, organizational, and economical factors in healthcare.

- Cost-effective strategies for addressing and mitigating the risk of errors and biases.

- The evolving dynamics of communication and relationships between healthcare professionals and patients due to errors and biases.

- Identification and analysis of the root causes of errors and biases in modern healthcare.

- Exploration of errors and biases in various health-related contexts.

All types of manuscripts can be considered, but research papers and systematic/scoping reviews are highly recommended.