How can PHP errors, such as MySQL errors, impact the return values of functions and how should they be handled?

PHP errors, such as MySQL errors, can impact the return values of functions by causing unexpected behavior or returning incorrect data. To handle these errors, it is important to use error handling techniques such as try-catch blocks to catch and handle exceptions gracefully.

try {
    // Your code that may throw MySQL errors
} catch (Exception $e) {
    // Handle the exception, log the error, and return an appropriate value
    echo 'An error occurred: ' . $e->getMessage();
}