The BMJ has published a study indicating that medical errors result in between 200,000 and 400,000 deaths annually across the United States. The BMJ estimate took into account diagnostic errors, communications breakdowns, systems failures, inadequate skill and poor judgment. The focus of the study was fatalities that occur secondary to a medical error, and many occurred in New York.
The BMJ has published a study indicating that medical errors result in between 200,000 and 400,000 deaths annually across the United States. The BMJ estimate took into account diagnostic errors, communications breakdowns, systems failures, inadequate skill and poor judgment. The focus of the study was fatalities that occur secondary to a medical error, and many occurred in New York.
According to the BMJ, fatalities of this kind are for a number of reasons under-reported. The cause of death may be listed as something physiological, such as myocardial infarction, but the documentation may not refer to an emergency room misdiagnosis of chest pain as a case of acid reflux, for example. Patients and their loved ones sometimes lack the knowledge to evaluate accurately the level of care provided, and they are sometimes purposely kept in the dark by hospitals and medical staff.
The number of doctor errors that occur in New York is not known; data indicates that most medical mistakes are never reported. The safety and quality of healthcare in the future depends on consistent, wide-reaching identification and analysis of medical errors. The BMJ has called for the establishment of a national medical error database for use toward improving the quality of medical care and preventing future mistakes.
Health care will get better when we know better why medical errors occur. Those who have been harmed due to doctor errors may be entitled to recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages or other damages. An attorney with experience in medical malpractice litigation may be able to help by examining the circumstances of the case and subpoenaing expert witnesses.
