Study: Medical Errors Now Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S.

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Medical Malpractice

In 1999, the medical community was rocked by a report prepared by Institute of Medicine which classified the problem of medical errors as an epidemic. That report concluded that approximately 95,000 people died each year from preventable medical mistakes. The annual cost to medical facilities was determined to be between $17 billion and $29 billion. Although the Institute of Medicine’s report inspired much debate over the years regarding what could be done to protect patients, a new report – prepared by researchers from John Hopkins University - found that the medical community may not have had too much success and preventable medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in this country.

Unlike the 1999 report, which only used data from one study, the new report used information collected from four major studies. Two of these studies were from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, during the years 2000 to 2008.

During that time period, there were 251,000 annually deaths attributed to medical errors. This breaks down to 700 deaths per day. Only heart disease and cancer claimed more Americans during that eight-year stretch.

There were several types of medical errors that researchers found were the most common. They included:

• Misdiagnosis;
• Giving patients the wrong medications;
• Surgeries that were unnecessary;
• Mishaps during surgery, such as nicking an artery;
• Failure of medical staff to recognize signs of fatal conditions, like septic shock; and
• Failure of medical staff to consult with a medical specialist.

Even more troubling is the researchers’ assertion that the actual numbers of victims of medical errors is most likely much greater than 700 per day. They put the numbers of people killed each year as probably closer to 400,000. The reason for this difference is that there is no place on a death certificate to add information on whether or not a person’s death was related to a medical error. Since death certificates are the source of such data for the federal government, the collected information is thought to be lacking.

If you have lost a loved one because of a preventable medical error, contact an experienced Orland Park medical malpractice attorney today to find out what legal recourse you may have for your family’s pain and loss. Call 708-966-2408 for a free consultation.

Sources:

https://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/1999/To-Err-is-Human/To%20Err%20is%20Human%201999%20%20report%20brief.pdf