Medical profession and medical error prevention in Hungary

Reducing medical errors has become an international concern. The EU Accession changed the scope of mobility of health professionals and patients and is getting wider significance on international level. This calls the attention of cross-border health care and the focus on quality issues of medical profession and patient safety, particularly in newly accessed countries.

The aim of the present study is to reveal important issues of medical profession, such as professional standards, training, licensing, revalidation and accountability that can play a preventive role against medical errors, thus increase patient safety.

The European Care Collaboration – Cross-border Health Care project is an EU founded project which concentrates on different aspects of health profession and the consequences of patient mobility. This paper summarizes the mapping exercise about current situation of health care professionals and policy related decisions in Hungary by conducting interviews with leaders of medical professional bodies.

The findings show that the comprehensive and widespread health reform „Revived health care, recovering Hungary – Semmelweis Plan to save health care” provides guidelines in order to harmonize Hungarian health system with European health recommendations and directives. In terms of professional guidelines and quality improvement responsibilities were shared by new institutions and organizations, further, new strategies were established. Medical training is high quality in Hungary, however new initiations were introduced to develop the education system due to the European standards. Fitness to practice is ensured by the strict licensing and revalidation process. Preventing medical errors patient safety has become a highly prioritized topic and learning from failures of health care system is underlined.

Current interventions can significantly facilitate strengthening and developing quality in medical field and promote patient safety. Understanding different approaches in member states can help maintaining compatible legislation.

Funds: EC Seventh Framework programme FP7/2007-2013 grant 242058 EUCBCC ECAB.