Forbes February 7, 2020
Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, just behind heart disease and cancer. According to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins, more than 250,000 people die every year from preventable medical errors. Other studies claim this number could be as high as 440,000. Countless others are unnecessarily injured or maimed.
Many of these deaths are caused by doctor/hospital errors, while others are caused by prescription/pharmacy errors. These mistakes are due to a variety of reasons, including errors in judgment, skill, coordination, diagnostics, system or automation defects. Occasionally, malpractice rears its ugly head. In a letter to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Martin Malarky and colleagues assert that this problem has...