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And the Third Leading Cause of Death in the US is... Medical Errors

posted by takyon on Saturday May 14 2016, @10:15AM   
from the bzzt-oops dept.

quintessence writes:

A study published in the BMJ found that medical errors may be the third leading cause of death in the United States:

The IOM, based on one study, estimated deaths because of medical errors as high as 98,000 a year. Makary's research involves a more comprehensive analysis of four large studies, including ones by the Health and Human Services Department's Office of the Inspector General and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that took place between 2000 to 2008. His calculation of 251,000 deaths equates to nearly 700 deaths a day — about 9.5 percent of all deaths annually in the United States.

And from the airplane analogy, a simple fix: checklists.

Is it time for a system theory approach to medicine?

Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US (DOI: 10.1136/bmj.i2139)

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Original Submission

• Re:Yes, but... (Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2016, @10:34AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2016, @10:34AM (#346030)

  Malpractice defense attorney spotted.

  Parent

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