Medical Malpractice
Medical Malpractice: A Leading Cause of Death in the United States
Medical malpractice, which can include surgical errors, unnecessary medical procedures, a physician’s failure to properly diagnose or treat a disease or conditions, and pharmacy dispensing errors, is a leading cause of death in the United States. An estimated 225,000 people die each year as the result of medical malpractice, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, ranking it behind only heart disease and cancer in terms of deaths caused each year.
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recently reported that an estimated 98,000 patients die in the United States each year because of medical malpractice in hospitals alone, while more die due to medical malpractice in nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and other health-care facilities.
WHAT IS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE?
Medical malpractice is the failure of surgeons, physicians, and other medical professionals to provide proper treatment to patients, resulting in personal injury or death. When a medical-care provider fails to correctly diagnose or treat a disease or condition in a timely manner or makes mistakes during a surgery or treatment that end the patient’s life or reduce their quality of life, medical malpractice may have occurred.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE?
There are many common causes of medical malpractice. For example, each year in the United States, there are:
- 12,000 deaths caused by unnecessary surgery
- 7,000 deaths caused by medication errors in hospitals
- 20,000 deaths caused by pharmacy errors other types of errors in hospitals
- 80,000 deaths caused by infections contracted in hospitals
- 106,000 deaths caused by non-error reactions to medication
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