"I made a mistake" - when this sentence is uttered, the accusation of a lack of diligence quickly arises. In health professions, even the smallest errors can have significant consequences for patients. The author provides information on appropriate error management to prevent avoidable mistakes from recurring: Where can sources of error be identified? How can errors be prevented? And last but not least: How can affected patients be informed, and how can the emotional processing of mistakes be supported for employees?.