A new study by patient-safety researchers provides some context about medical care and errors. Their analysis, published in BMJ last week, shows that medical errors in hospitals and other healthcare facilities are very common. In fact, the report indicated medical errors may be the third-leading care of death in the United States. The toll of these errors claims 251,000 lives each year.
Martin Makary, a professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who was a lead researcher in the study, indicated the errors include everything from bad doctors to communication breakdowns when patients are handed off from one facility or department to another. “It boils down to people dying from the care that they receive rather than the disease for which they are seeking care,” Makary said.
Makary’s research involves a more comprehensive analysis of four large studies, including ones by the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of the Inspector General and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that took place between 2000 to 2008. His calculation of 251,000 deaths equates to nearly 700 deaths a day — about 9.5 percent of all deaths annually in the United States.
“Measuring the problem is the absolute first step,” he said. “Hospitals are currently investigating deaths where medical error could have been a cause, but they are under resourced. What we need to do is study patterns nationally.”
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This study drew much national attention; a few related articles with additional information are included below.
BMJ News Article – Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US
Hopkins Medicine News – Study Suggests Medical Errors Now Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.
US News – Medical errors are third leading cause of death in the US
Washington Post – Researchers: Medical errors now third leading cause of death in United States
CBS News – Medical Errors Killing Americans at a Surprising Rate (includes video)
Source BMJ 2016; 353 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2139 (Published 03 May 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;353:i2139