[A difference between patients and staff in the experience of errors during hospitalization]

We interviewed 34 patients admitted to Frederiksberg Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, all of whom had been subject to erroneous handling, to determine how they experienced errors during hospitalization and how they perceived the staff-handled errors. 36% thought that the staff handled the errors badly. Communication mistakes were the most common. We found that the patients wanted the staff to recognize errors, to inform more about the treatment, to speak politely and to spend more time during discharge.