MEDICAL MALPRACTICE STATISTICS
Medical malpractices are potentially preventable errors. But unfortunately death caused due to such careless mistakes stands third in rating after heart diseases and cancer. According to Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), about 225000 people die due to medical malpractice. In 2006, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies found that among the malpractices, medication errors are the most common medical mistakes harming at least one and half million people every year. According to the study made by this institute, 400000 preventable drug related injuries and 800000 long-term settings, occur in hospitals every year.
This is a report from an article published by a journal, which reveals that: 12,000 deaths per year from unnecessary surgery, 7,000 deaths per year from medication errors in hospitals, 20,000 deaths per year from other errors in hospitals, 80,000 deaths per year from infections in hospitals, 106,000 deaths in a year from adverse effects of medication.
A 2004 survey examining primary care malpractice revealed that, though negligence in hospitals produced severe outcomes, total number of deaths occurred as a result of misdiagnosis. The JAMA study shows that only one in 10,000 persons admitted in hospitals is given optimal care. It emphasizes that, if optimal care was given 100% of people would have survived. The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that, 72% of medical malpractice claims without evidence of errors are denied compensation. Of the 97% errors associated with injuries, 73% got compensation.
Even though compensations are provided for the victims in money, their physical and personal losses cannot be compensated. So every possible step should be taken to avoid such losses.
