medical malpractice lawyers

Medical mistakes by hospitals, surgeons, doctors, nurses and other health care professionals cause 250,000 deaths a year. That’s according to recent research by physicians at Johns Hopkins Medicine, who are urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise their “Top 10” causes of death to include this problem.

According to the new research, which was conducted over an eight-year period, medical errors cause more deaths than respiratory disease. They also cause more deaths than suicide, kidney disease, the flue and diabetes – all combined. It’s a bigger problem than accidents, strokes and Alzheimer’s disease too.

The study authors say their findings make it clear that medical errors far surpass the current third-leading cause of death, respiratory diseases, which reportedly claim 150,000 American lives a year. Continue reading →

When a patient undergoes surgery – either under emergency circumstances or in the course of a long-anticipated treatment plan – there is an expectation that the doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists involved are going to use the utmost care and caution.

We all know there are many potential risks associated with surgery, but we do expect our health care providers to minimize those risks to whatever extent possible. But now, a new study published in the journal Anesthesiology reveals that medication errors are happening in about 50 percent of all surgical procedures. This figure, based on results at one prestigious hospital in Massachusetts, is significantly higher than previous estimates.

The American Association of Anesthesiologists, upon recently being presented this information, told the study authors that this significant issue is by no means unique to this location. The lead author recounted to The Washington Post that there was “not a lot of surprise” because it was widely-accepted that the self-reported numbers of medication errors during surgery were far too low. However, there was some dismay at the fact that the figure was so high, even as industry experts conceded it’s likely at least as high if not more excessive in other hospitals. Continue reading →

Articles Tagged with medical malpractice lawyers

Study: Medical Errors are the No. 3 Cause of Death in U.S.

Study: Medication Mistakes Occur in at Least Half of Surgeries