Medical Industry Named Third Leading Killer In The United States – Falling On Deaf Ears
The U.S. medical industry was named the United States’ third leading killer behind heart disease and cancer, and this news is being hushed. This news is discouraging and patients and their families need to be diligent in advocating for the best care for patients. People cannot rest assured that the medical system will recommend the best treatment for patients, and that it will not make mistakes. It is your right as a patient or as an advocate of a patient to question recommended treatment and to request alternatives, and to monitor how care is being administered.
A study from the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. Barbara Starfield[1] revealed that around 225,000 patient deaths caused by medical mistreatment occur yearly:
- 12,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery
- 7,000 deaths/year from medication errors in hospitals
- 20,000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals
- 80,000 deaths/year from diseases contracted in hospitals
- 106,000 deaths/year from adverse reactions to prescribed medication
Dr. Barbara Starfield’s work concerning the benefits primary care had been widely embraced, which included Congressional reports, but her reports on U.S. healthcare received very little attention. The paradigm and politics that promote the industry of Western medicine also protects it, often at the expense of its patients. Dr. Barbara Starfield wrote[2] :
“However, the findings on the relatively poor health in the US have received almost no attention. The American public appears to have been hoodwinked that more interventions lead to better health, and most people I meet are completely unaware that the US does not have the ‘best health in the world’.”
According to these numbers 27,000 deaths were due to human error. On paper, changes have been made to reduce human error. Work hour limits were instituted for medical trainees who could no longer be worked more than 80 hours a week, and could not work shifts longer than 30 hours. It amazes me that this was actually considered an improvement and reasonable, but it appears to have been helpful but not a solution.
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Research[3] showed interns and residents who worked recurring and extended shifts:
- Made 36% more serious medical errors than those whose scheduled work is limited to 16 consecutive hours
- Made 5 times as many serious diagnostic errors
- Have twice as many on-the-job attentional failures at night
- Report making 300% more fatigue-related medical errors that lead to patient’s death
It wasn’t likely that errors would be revealed to patients or their family members, because the option was rarely considered and doctors were basically unaccountable for their actions.[4]
The institution of medicine broke the silence, admitted to the errors, and made promises of change. Time has gone on and the silence has reemerged and continues.
What are you experiences with the medical industry?
[1] Is US health really the best in the world? Starfield B1. JAMA. 2000 Jul 26;284(4):483-5.
[2] Barbara Starfield: Passage of the Pathfinder of Primary Care. K C Stange. Ann Fam Med. 2011 Jul; 9(4): 292–296.
[3] Effects of health care provider work hours and sleep deprivation on safety and performance. S W Lockley, L K Barger, N T Ayas, J M Rothschild, C A Czeizler, C P Landrigan: Harvard Work Hours, Health and Safety Group. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2007 Nov;33(11 Suppl):7-18.
[4] Managing medical mistakes: ideology, insularity and accountability among internists-in-training. T Mizrahi. Soc Sci Med. 1984;19(2):135-46.
