iatrogena

Iatrogena refers to harm that results from medical treatment or care. The term, derived from Greek iatros (“physician”) and gennaein (“to produce”), is used to describe adverse effects, complications, or injuries caused by medical interventions rather than by the patient’s underlying condition. In English, the more common terms are iatrogenic and iatrogenesis, but iatroa or iatrogena appear in some medical literature and cross-linguistic usage to convey the same concept. It is a central concept in patient safety and medical ethics.

Common forms include adverse drug reactions and medication errors, surgical injuries and anesthesia-related complications, hospital-acquired infections, diagnostic or laboratory errors, and iatrogenic psychosocial effects such as nocebo responses or unnecessary testing and procedures generated by overmedicalization.

The incidence varies by setting and population, but iatrogenesis remains a major concern in modern health care. It reflects not only individual clinician errors but systemic factors such as communication failures, workload, and safety culture. It can affect any patient and may be transient or permanent.

Prevention and response strategies include robust reporting systems, pharmacovigilance, evidence-based prescribing, medication reconciliation, checklists for procedures, infection control, accurate diagnosis, informed consent, and ongoing professional education. When harm occurs, transparency with patients and appropriate corrective actions are essential.