REDUCING MEDICAL ERRORS

It is clear that, although the US provides some of the best health care in the world, the number of errors in health care are at unacceptably high levels. The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report estimates that more than half of the adverse medical events occurring each year are due to preventable medical errors, causing the deaths of tens of thousands. The cost associated with these errors in lost income, disability, and health care cost is as much as $29 billion annually. The consequences of medical mistakes are often more severe than the consequences of mistakes in other industries -- leading death or disability rather than inconvenience on the part of the consumers -- underscoring the need for aggressive action in this area.

Many of these adverse events are associated with the use of pharmaceuticals, and are potentially preventable. The IOM estimates the number of lives lost to preventable medication errors alone represent over 7,000 deaths annually -- more than the number of Americans injured in the workplace each year. In addition, preventable medication errors are estimated to increase hospital costs by about $2 billion nationwide. A 1995 study estimated that problems related to the use of pharmaceutical drugs account for nearly 10 percent of all hospital admissions, and significantly contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in the US. A 1991 study of hospitals in New York State indicated that drug complications represent 19 percent of all adverse events, and that 45 percent of these adverse events were caused by medical errors. In this study, 30 percent of the individuals with drug-related injuries died.

Reprinted from: Doing What Counts for Patient Safety: Federal Actions to Reduce Medical Errors and Their Impact, Executive summary.

Comment: Everybody, patients, physicians, politicians, and pharmaceutical executives should do our best to reduce medical errors. We should educate ourselves in ways and means in preventing errors.

Example of Diagnostic Error   False Positive Biopsy   Prescription Error   Systems Errors   Flying Infusion Pump   Printed Prescription   Medical Errors a National Problem   Compunding Medication Error   Pediatric Surgery Errors

Leo Leonidas, MD, FAAP