Thousands Die From Medical
Mistakes
A report released Monday by
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) says more people die due to medical errors every
year in the United States than from vehicle accidents, breast cancer or AIDS.
The
startling conclusion shows at least 44,000 and possibly as many as 98,000
Americans die every year in hospitals because of medical mistakes, such as bad
penmanship. Last October, a Texas jury awarded the family of a man $450,000
after it concluded that a doctor''s illegible handwriting caused a
prescription-drug mix-up that led to the man''s
death.
The IOM report says these medical
errors occur in every aspect of health care -- in nursing homes, retail
pharmacies and even on the operating table. "These stunningly high rates of
medical errors," wrote William Richardson, chairman of the IOM committee that
wrote the report, "resulting in deaths, permanent disability and unnecessary
suffering, are simply unacceptable in a medical system that promises first ''to
do no harm.'' "
Based on its report, the
IOM committee is calling on Congress to create a patient-safety division within
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Such a division, the report''s
authors say, would oversee national patient-safety standards, track safety
records and work to prevent medical errors. The IOM is also calling on the
federal government to require hospitals and medical centers to report all
serious medical errors.
