From the report “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer
Health System” done by the Academy of Sciences'
Institute of Medicine (IOM)
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IOM estimates that 44,000 to 98,000 Americans die
each year not from the medical conditions they
checked in with, but from preventable medical
errors.
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A medical error, under the report's definition,
could mean a health-care provider chose an
inappropriate method of care, such as giving a
patient a certain asthma drug without knowing that
he or she was allergic to it.
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The Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates that fully
half of adverse reactions to medicines are the
result of medical errors.
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The statistics in the IOM report, which were based
on two large studies, suggest that medical errors
are the eighth leading cause of death among
Americans
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The numbers in the report don't tell the whole
story, its authors acknowledge. People in the
hospital are just a small proportion of those at
risk. Doctors' offices, clinics, and outpatient
surgical centers treat thousands of patients each
day; retail pharmacies fill countless prescriptions;
and nursing homes and other institutional settings
serve vulnerable patient populations.
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"Whether a person is sick or just trying to stay
healthy, he or she should not have to worry about
being harmed by the health system itself," its
authors say.
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Name confusion is among the most common causes of
drug-related errors, says Peter Honig, M.D., an FDA
expert on drug risk-assessment.
From the website justaskourdoctors.com
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Patients win only 38% of all medical malpractice
cases tried to juries in this country.
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Each year more than 98,000 Americans die from
Hospital Medical Errors. 1,000,000 more are injured
from medical errors.
From the website pwydhealthrecord.com
Quoted from “Lead Your Way to better Healthcare” by
Margo Corbett
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One study revealed 13.6 percent of doctor visits
were missing test results and other documents; 44
percent of patients were adversely affected; and
59.5 percent received delayed care or duplicate
services, adding cost to the system (Journal of the
American Medical Association [JAMA], February 2005).
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A National Patient Safety Foundation national poll
revealed 42 percent of respondents had been affected
by a medical error either personally or through a
friend or relative. Of that 32 percent reported
permanent negative effects on their health.
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The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHQR)
cites research that shows the majority of medical
errors are preventable; 70 percent
of adverse events found in 1,133 medical records
were preventable
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A study of adverse drug events among ambulatory
older people reported 27.6 percent were preventable;
58.4 percent of the 27.6 percent occurred at the
prescribing stages (JAMA, March 2003).
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1.5 million people experience a medication
error each year.
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Studies show the majority of medical errors are
preventable, and patients who take an active role in
their health care have better outcomes.
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