Patient Safety in Intensive Care Medicine. Bioethical aspects

Patient Safety has become a challenge and a priority of all healthcare systems. International policies have been implemented with the aim of reducing the number of incidents related to Patient Safety. There are still many patients who suffer damages derived from health care. In addition, its impact extends not only to family members and relatives, but also to the professionals themselves, to health institutions and all of this at an economic and emotional cost with important consequences for all those involved. Most studies have been directed to know the epidemiology of adverse events (AE), to know their causes and their consequences. Numerous safe practices have been promoted with the aim of reducing the risks related to health care. Recently, aspects related to post-AE performance have become more relevant. Risk management involves, among other actions, the identification, notification and analysis of the AE that point out latent failures in the system and the root cause with the ultimate goal of establishing improvement actions and avoiding their recurrence. Gradually these strategies have been incorporated into institutional policies and thereby improving the safety culture. But there are still parts of the process, which in our area are in their most initial stage, such as the process of informing about AE to patients and their families and the support to professionals after being involved in an AE. All this must be built in a framework of trust and credibility.