A recently published article in BMJ estimates that medical error is the third biggest cause of death in the US, after heart disease and cancer. The authors mention that medical errors leading to patient death may be under-recognised in many countries, such as the UK and Canada, and call for a scientific approach and a revision of how national statistics are measured to enable a more appropriate recognition and a better understanding of the related deaths.
Read the article and comment the story on Among Doctors
Image credit: SSgt. Derrick C. Goode, U.S. Air Force – http://hq.afnews.af.mil