Medical Errors the Third Leading Cause of Death in US
Medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the U.S., the British Medical Journal reports.
The BMJ says that medical errors kill 251,000 people every year, which is more than respiratory diseases, accidents, and strokes.
Those numbers break down to nearly 700 deaths a day, which is about 9.5 percent of all deaths annually in the United States.
Martin Makary is a professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and he also led the research along with Michael Daniel, a research fellow.
Makary says it's more than having a bad doctor. He told the Washington Post that the medical errors can include everything.
"It boils down to people dying from the care that they receive rather than the disease for which they are seeking care," Makary said.
The survey cites a number of systemic issues that can lead to the death of someone receiving medical care. Makary says part of the issue is that many hospitals and health care facilities avoid talking about the issue.
"We all know how common it is," he said. "We also know how infrequently it's openly discussed."
Researchers add that the study will allow institutions to find ways to improve and prevent medical errors.
"To achieve more reliable healthcare systems, the science of improving safety should benefit from sharing data nationally and internationally, in the same way as clinicians share research and innovation about coronary artery disease, melanoma, and influenza," Makary and Daniel wrote in their analysis.
