In today's world, evidence-based medicine is gaining relevance, one of the principles of which is to reduce probable medical errors. The main task of the health care system in Ukraine is to improve the quality of medical care. The effectiveness and clarity of the functioning of all units (health care facilities, relevant ministries, departments, etc.) to improve the quality of health care is possible only if they are coordinated. But despite all the actions and methods aimed at improving the provision of medical care, there are cases when treatment does not give the expected result, then talk about medical errors. The definition of «medical error» is understood to mean the result of incorrect actions of a doctor in the process of diagnosing or treating a patient, which led to a threat to the life and health of the patient. In various sources, «medical error» is identified with «medical negligence» or «negligence», and whether these concepts are identical, we will try to understand