A study published last month in the prestigious British Medical Journal revealed alarming new data about the dangers of medical practice. The study analyzed scientific literature and concluded that the frequency of fatal medical errors is much worse than previous estimates, totaling at least 251,000 deaths annually. (Source: BMJ 2016;353:i2139 May 2016)
This finding ranks mistakes by doctors and allied personnel as the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. The scientists who did the study emphasize that these numbers are very conservative due to under-reporting.
Right behind heart disease and cancer, deaths caused by medical error ranks ahead of: accidents, stroke, flu, respiratory illness, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
To provide perspective, one of the authors of the study, Martin Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, compared the problem with what happens when an airplane crashes. After a disaster the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration launch an investigation to find out why and take steps to prevent future catastrophes. Physicians on the other hand are far less transparent when harm is done to patients, making it much more difficult for steps to be taken to make medical practice safer.
The airline industry often compares their safety record with the rate of fatalities on our nation’s highways demonstrating that it’s safer to fly than drive. One colleague noted this comparison and in view of the U.S. cause of death rankings made the bleak observation that, “You’re more likely to be killed by your doctor than a drunk driver!” As cynical as that sounds, the facts are in and they should serve as a wake-up call to all of us.
None of this means that doctors aren’t caring, well-trained professionals. But the days of blindly following doctor’s orders are over. Profitability has become the elephant in the treatment room and patients now need to be their own advocates, ask more questions and accept nothing less than straight forward answers.