Despite the IOM Warning, Medical Errors May Have Killed 1 Million Plus In Past Decade
By Fard Johnmar: First posted May 20, 2009
Much like remembering the fallen Berlin Wall, it is fitting during this time of political healthcare reform debate, to again consider the IOM report - now more than a decade old.
In a scathing report, Consumers Union estimates that more than 1 million people have died over the last decade due to preventable medical harm. The newly released report, “To Err is Human — To Delay is Deadly,” suggests that since the Institute of Medicine’s influential 1999 report on medical errors, “98,000 people die each year needlessly because of preventable medical harm, including healthcare-acquired infections. Ten years after To Err is Human, we have no national entity comprehensively tracking patient safety events or progress.”
While some hospitals have made great strides in the effort to reduce medical errors and the U.S. government has taken steps to limit reimbursement for preventable medical events, the nation still has a long way to go. Consumers Union is recommending that we develop a national system for tracking medical errors. The organization suggests that concerns about malpractice lawsuits due to reports of medical harm may be overstated.
Assessment
To learn more about the Consumer Union report, please click here.
Conclusion
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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Ethics, Quality Initiatives | Tagged: Consumers Union, Institute of Medicine Report, IOM, medical quality, To Err is Human — To Delay is Deadly. To Err is Human
