RaDonda Vaught listens to victim impact statements during her sentencing in Nashville. She was found guilty in March of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult after she accidentally administered the wrong medication. Nicole Hester/AP hide caption
The conviction of RaDonda Vaught in an accidental injection death has sparked fear and outrage among many nurses, who have been faced with long hours, mounting responsibilites and staffing shortages. Nicole Hester/AP hide caption
RaDonda Vaught and her attorney, Peter Strianse, listen as verdicts are read at her trial in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, March 25. The jury found Vaught, a former nurse, guilty of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult in the death of a patient to whom she accidentally gave the wrong medication. Nicole Hester/The Tennessean/AP hide caption
RaDonda Vaught, a former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse charged in the death of a patient, listens to opening statements during her trial in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, March 22. Stephanie Amador/AP hide caption
Dr. Danielle Ofri, author of When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error, says medical mistakes are likely to increase as resource-strapped hospitals treat a rapid influx of COVID-19 patients. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Patients operated on by surgeons who display rude or unprofessional behavior toward colleagues tend to have higher rates of post-surgical complications. FangXiaNuo/Getty Images hide caption
RaDonda Vaught appears at a court hearing with her attorney, Peter Strianse, in February. Vaught, a former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was charged with reckless homicide after a medication error killed a patient. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption
Medical errors are a leading cause of death and injuries in U.S. hospitals, according to the Institute of Medicine. VILevi/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption
The physical therapy workouts a rehabilitation facility offers can be a crucial part of healing, doctors say. But a government study finds preventable harm — including bedsores and medication errors — occurring in some of those facilities, too. Andersen Ross/Blend Images/Getty Images hide caption
Medical errors rank behind heart disease and cancer as the third leading cause of death in the U.S., Johns Hopkins researchers say. iStockphoto hide caption
Employees at all Lowe's home improvement stores, including this one in South San Francisco, Calif., are eligible to have certain surgeries paid for by the company at selected hospitals. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Errors in diagnosis, such as inaccuracies or delays in making the information available, account for an estimated 10 percent of patient deaths, a blue-ribbon report says. iStockphoto hide caption
Hands holding one week old baby boy. Leanne Temme/Getty Images hide caption
A program based at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore offers a two-day series of assessments for older surgeons, evaluating "physical and cognitive" function. iStockphoto hide caption
When a medical error causes harm, there may be an alternative to litigation for compensation. ImageZoo/Corbis hide caption
NYU Langone Medical Center is one of the teaching hospitals being penalized by Medicare for its rate of medical errors. Joshua Bright/AP hide caption
Advocates for patient safety have had to confront the reality that steps taken to improve the quality of health care can also present opportunities for corruption and conflict of interest. Pascal Fossier/Ikon Images/Corbis hide caption
If they make a mistake, will they let you know? Probably not, a survey finds. Corbis hide caption
Joe Kiani, addresses the second-annual Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit in January 2014. Courtesy of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation hide caption
"We can't continue to have unsafe medical care be a regular part of the way we do business in health care," said Harvard School of Public Health's Dr. Ashish Jha at a Senate hearing Thursday. AP hide caption
Brian Micalizzi, a pharmacist at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, prepares an antibiotic prescribed to a patient in the emergency department. Juan Pulido/Courtesy of Children's Medical Center hide caption
Sometimes the care that's supposed to help winds up hurting instead. iStockphoto.com hide caption