Medical Malpractice Facts

When facing a medical procedure, whether it is surgery or otherwise, the last thing on a patient's mind should be the doctor or hospital making a mistake. However, medical errors do occur everyday, and doctors and hospitals that are responsible for said injuries can be held liable for medical malpractice and just compensation.

The following illustrates various medical malpractice facts in this country. For further information on medical malpractice statistics, contact a qualified attorney who is experienced in this area of law.

Medical Malpractice Statistics.

According to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), over 225,000 people die each year due to medical malpractice and nearly half of these are from emergency room errors. Medical malpractice has become the third leading cause of death in the United States, after deaths from heart disease and cancer.

The JAMA article also broke down the following medical malpractice statistics:

• 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 infections in hospitals
• 106,000 deaths/year from non-error, adverse effects of medication

Further, a study of prescribing medication errors in teaching hospitals detected an estimated 3.13 errors for each 1,000 orders written, and a rate of 1.81 significant errors per 1,000 orders. And, dental malpractice claims have increased. Over the period of 9 years, a study on dental malpractice was done on 11 different dental related decisions that were made--eight which were said to be the dentists' fault. Medical malpractice facts also include statistics that account for malpractice that occurs outside of a hospital room. Six to ten percent of psychiatrists surveyed confessed to having engaged in sexual contact with a patient.

Costs of Medical Malpractice Insurance.

While medical costs have increased by 113 percent since 1987, the amount spent on medical malpractice insurance has increased by just 52 percent over that time. The cost to society in terms of disability and health care costs, lost income, lost household production and the personal costs of care are estimated to be between $17 and $29 billion. In contrast, the medical liability system costs $6.7 billion annually.