Nearly 3,100 medical treatment errors were confirmed across Germany last year. In 2,700 cases the errors were the direct cause of harm, according to the annual assessment report published by the Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst) at federal and state level, presented in Berlin on Thursday. In 97 cases, errors caused a patient's death or substantially contributed to it. The Medical Service also assumed that the overall number of unreported cases is high.
Around 150 incidents from last year were classified by the assessors as particularly serious, in professional circles such occurrences are also known as "never events," which must be avoided under all circumstances. These include serious medication errors, surgical material left inside a patient's body, and mix-ups involving patients or the wrong side of the body. In the previous year, 2024, there had been 134 cases of this type.
In total, the assessors examined around 11,700 suspected treatment errors nationwide, of which roughly a quarter, or 3,098, were ultimately officially confirmed as such. Two-thirds of the suspected cases related to inpatient treatment, primarily in hospitals, while around one-third fell within the outpatient sector. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 17.5 million people were treated as inpatients in German clinics in 2024 alone.
Almost 30 percent of the allegations in 2025 concerned treatments in the field of orthopaedics and trauma surgery, with other specialities far less represented. However, this does not permit any conclusions about safety standards, the Medical Service emphasised. Concentrations of suspected-case reports in a single speciality showed that patients were reacting to outcomes that did not match their expectations. In surgical procedures, errors are generally easier for them to recognise than in other areas.
The examiners continue to expect a high number of unreported cases. Researchers generally assume that "avoidable adverse events" occur in two to four percent of all inpatient treatments. Applied to Germany, that would correspond to a magnitude of roughly 350,000 to 700,000 such incidents per year. Preventing treatment errors therefore not only avoids unnecessary suffering, but also prevents considerable follow-up costs within the healthcare system.
The Medical Service pointed to estimates by the OECD, according to which highly developed countries must spend around 15 percent of the costs of inpatient patient care on the consequences of avoidable errors. Applied to hospital spending by Germany's statutory health insurance funds, this produces a magnitude of 16.7 billion euros. "Greater patient safety is therefore also a question of the economic efficiency of our healthcare system," said Stefan Gronemeyer, chief executive of the Medical Service Federal Association (Medizinischer Dienst Bund).
To improve error prevention, the medical assessors called for the systematic introduction of sanction-free reporting systems for serious adverse events, and for a legal obligation requiring treating doctors to inform patients immediately when such incidents occur. This would not only strengthen the rights of those affected, but would also create additional incentives for reviewing and preventing errors.
The German Foundation for Patient Protection (Deutsche Stiftung Patientenschutz) called for greater transparency through the introduction of a central register for treatment errors. So far, the culture around errors in the healthcare system remains underdeveloped, board member Eugen Brysch told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung". He also called for a hardship fund for those who have suffered harm.
The Medical Service is an advisory and assessment organisation originally established jointly by the statutory health insurance funds. For several years it has been organised at federal and state level as an independent public-law corporation. Alongside the Medical Service, the insurance funds as well as expert commissions and arbitration boards of the state medical associations also publish statistics on the number of treatment errors. These bodies are likewise available as points of contact for people who believe they have been affected by treatment errors.
Whichever route you choose, request copies of your medical records and document what happened, including relevant treatments, dates and consequences. These documents can be important when your case is assessed. The Independent Patient Advice Service (UPD) provides free, independent advice on patient rights, suspected treatment errors, disputes with doctors or health insurers, and possible legal or other steps. It can help patients understand their options and decide how to proceed.
Watch the video to understand how widespread medical treatment errors are in Germany and what patients can do if they suspect one.
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