One in Five Hospital Patients Injured, According to Study

Bloomberg News recently posted an article, Medical Injuries Harm 18% of Hospital Patients in N.C., Researchers Find, that does very little to boost patients’ confidence in the health care industry.

According to a study of U.S. hospitals, nearly one in five hospital patients was hurt by their care.  These numbers are in spite of the measures that have been taken to improve safety by industry and government officials over the years. 

Medical Mistakes can be Deadly
In 1999, a report by the Institute of Medicine discovered that medical mistakes resulted in about 98,000 deaths and over one million injuries each year.  Think about that for a moment.  Based on those figures, a mere trip to the hospital could turn deadly.

What the Recent Study Found
The recent study actually spans six years and involves 2,341 hospital admissions in North Carolina.  This state was chosen for the study because it is believed to be the leader in improving patient safety.  According to researchers though, 18 percent of patients suffered at least one safety-related event – from minor injuries to death.

When you visit the doctor or are admitted to the hospital, you trust that you are given an appropriate level of care.  You trust that the medical provider will take measures to avoid serious errors.  However, this study is unnerving.  What is also unfortunate is that many of the victims of medical malpractice will never recover a dime for their injuries.

Order the Book on Medical Malpractice
Learn more about Virginia medical malpractice claims in my book, Why Most Medical Malpractice Victims Will Never Recover a Dime.  This book is free to Virginia residents.

Find out what health care officials are doing to avoid hospital injuries in the blog post, We Know the Injury Rates, So What’s Being Done to Prevent Medical Errors in Hospitals?