Medical Errors Should Not Be Our 3rd Leading Cause of Death

Suppose two jumbo jets crashed every day, killing a total of about 365,000 people in a year. Remarkably enough that's about the level of carnage caused every year in our country by avoidable medical mistakes. We would never tolerate such an incredible loss of life were it caused by recurring plane crashes (or most anything else). The Federal Aviation Authority would be given immediate and unlimited funding to figure out exactly why the planes were crashing and to do whatever it takes to make them safe again. In fact, complete reporting of mistakes, and constantly correcting them, has made flying in a commercial plane about the safest thing a person can ever do. In contrast, and inexplicably, we tolerate an equivalent loss of life caused by medical mistakes, despite the fact that they have become the third leading cause of death in the US. There is no public fear and rage, no sustained and coordinated effort to identify the major sources of error and eliminate them. Neglect of medical safety has made the simple act of being admitted to a hospital about the most dangerous thing you can possibly do. And the hospitals and government are doing little to make medical care safer. Things don't have to be this way. "Killer Care: How Medical Error Became America's Third Largest Cause of Death, and What Can Be Done About It" is a brilliant book by James Lieber that exposes the magnitude of medical mistakes, identifies their causes, and suggests solutions. Mr Lieber writes: "Here a...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news