We Know the Injury Rates, So What’s Being Done to Prevent Medical Errors at Hospitals?

When you go to the hospital for a routine procedure or to have a major operation, wouldn’t it be unnerving to find out that you have a one in 10 chance of being injured by a medical error?  No one wants to think about those kinds of odds.

A recent study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has many people feeling a little uneasy about checking into the hospital.  The study spanned six years and included 2,341 patients.  Researchers discovered that 18 percent of these patients suffered at least one safety-related incident. Among those incidents were fourteen deaths.

You can read more about this study in the blog post, One in Five Hospital Patients Injured, According to Study.

The question now becomes, what is being done to prevent patient injuries?
The study involved North Carolina hospitals due to the fact that the state is considered a leader in patient safety improvements.  Since the study ended in 2007, North Carolina has given its safety efforts a boost in an attempt to lower the rate of medical injuries.  For example, electronic medical records are more commonly used and methods for tracking patient safety have been improved.

The story often doesn’t end well for medical malpractice victims.
Unfortunately, many medical malpractice victims and their families have little success in holding the medical providers accountable.  There are many reasons for this, which are discussed in the book, Why Most Medical Malpractice Victims Never Recover a Dime.  This book is offered free to Virginia residents. Be sure to order your copy.