Nearly 20 percent of hospital patients are injured by medical error despite programs put in place to improve patient safety, according to a new study published in the New York Times.
Medical malpractice lawyers in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach frequently deal with the leading issues revealed by this study: surgical error, complications of prescription medication or drug therapy, and hospital-acquired infections. Still, it's staggering that 18 percent -- or 1 in 6 patients who are admitted to the hospital for medical care -- suffer harm at the hands of medical staff.
This study -- conducted at 10 hospitals in North Carolina because they had done a better job than hospitals in other states of participating in safety-improvement programs -- found that 63.1 percent of the injuries could have been prevented. The improvement programs were designed after a landmark study in 1999 found that 98,000 deaths and more than 1 million injuries were being caused by medical mistakes each year in the United States.
The safety programs had no appreciable impact on errors, most of which were caused by a hospital's failure to use measures proven to prevent mistakes and avoid infections. A 2008 study by the government came to similar conclusions when it found that 13.5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries experienced adverse events while hospitalized. The medical mistakes contributed to death in about 1.5 percent of cases -- or 15,000 patients in the month studied.
When judged by number of injuries per admission, the results were even more disturbing -- 25.1 injuries were reported for every 100 patients admitted to the hospital. In nearly half of the cases, extra time in the hospital was required.
In 3 percent of cases, a patient suffered permanent injury -- such as brain damage from a preventable stroke following surgery.
The report found that computerized systems for ordering drugs can reduce errors associated with dispensing medication by up to 80 percent. However, only 17 percent of hospitals have such systems.
If you or a loved one is injured by medical error, contact the Hollander Law Firm for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Fort Myers: (239) 337-7070. Boca Raton: (561) 347-7770. Naples: (239) 774-7779.
