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- Title
THE ENORMOUS COST OF MEDICAL ERRORS.
- Authors
Healey, Bernard J.; McGowan, Michele
- Abstract
The Institute of Medicine (1999) reports that as many as 98,000 patients die each year from preventable medical errors. According to Sultz and Young (2009) medical errors, especially in hospitals, have been a well known problem which commands very little attention by those in power in health care institutions. In many instances physicians and hospitals are actually reimbursed for having the error and then reimbursed again for rectifying the error if the patient lived. These errors included diagnostic and treatment errors, surgical errors, drug errors, hospital acquired infections and delay in treatment to name a few. When these errors are investigated the cause quite often is lack of communication among health care staff. Brownlee (2007) cites that lack of cooperation among employees in health care delivery systems as one of the major reasons for the epidemic of medical errors in medical care. Emanuel (2008) points out that too many patients are the victims of preventable medical errors and infections that occur in the hospital. This paper will attempt to find the major causes of medical errors and make recommendations to reduce these preventable mistakes that result in lives lost, disability and enormous costs for our health care delivery system.
- Publication
Academy of Health Care Management Journal, 2010, Vol 6, Issue 1, p17
- ISSN
1559-7628
- Publication type
Academic Journal