Medical Errors in Hospitals are Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S.
The Journal of Patient Safety discussed recent studies which have shown that preventable medical errors are responsible for between 200,000 and 400,000 patient deaths per year in U.S. hospitals. These errors include facility acquired infections, medication errors, omissions in treatment, communication errors between health care providers, nerve or vessel injuries, wrong operations, injuries to organs during surgical procedures, blood clots, diagnostic errors, and wound infections. The number of deaths caused by medical errors committed in a hospital, but which occur after a patient is discharged from a hospital, is equally large.
The cost of deaths due to preventable medical errors is obviously staggering in terms of the emotional loss felt by the family members and loved ones of those who have needlessly died, but the financial loss is shocking as well. By some estimates, medical errors cost the United States between $15 and 19 billion per year in additional medical costs including ancillary services, prescription drug services, and in-patient and out-patient care.
Interestingly, one study found that patients reported 3 times as many preventable adverse events than were indicated in their records. This study also found that physicians often refuse to report serious adverse events, with cardiologists being the highest of the non-reporting physician groups.
Filed under: General Problems
My wife had a cardiac test done. She hadctibsign a contract that stated a medicine to counteract would be given; if severe reaction to the vasidiolator. Her exam.kept being delayed for two days by the cardiologists. Before the exam ended, the doctor was not in the room and the nurses never came back. I arrived back to the ICU, and my wife had endured hours of no counteractive medicine, no patient advocacy and told demeaningly to calm down by even the floor managers. All said the Dr had to order it, and all kept delaying to contact. The respiratory crisis team had to be called in, as she had been saying for hours of trouble breathing. Finally, the medicine was given, six hours later!! They said her exam was normal and released her in a very nausea/ vomit condition. Later, we got the test and it was not normal. At cardiac follow up, she was refused service with still high Bp over 180 and both legs with edema. No incident report was ever done, even with our multiple requests and informing every level. So, yes, this article is true and its very disturbing the blatant, habitual violations and how they are coveted up with more violations and false data of patient to blame the patient. This is not the first incident. Now we are looking to move put of state, so my wife can feel safe to go the the hospital. We were not surprised to hear the chronic sick.lady that died of forced release from the hospital in Florida. Same few chains of hospitals in Florida with chronic, federal violations, abuse, and coverup. It is really out of control. We are starring to believe that they want disabled to have shortened life spans. We also have a lot in her health proxy to.protect, and it is constantly ignored. How did my wife go from a respected worker, to disabled and violated like garbage?
there have been over $350 billion dollars spent and 125,000 lives lost every year since 2013 on JUST AVOIDABLE MEDICATION ERRORS!!