According to a 2000 study conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), titled “To Err is Human,” medical error is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States today. Researchers involved in the IOM medical malpractice study estimated that medical mistakes, called “preventable adverse events,” cause between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths and 1,000,000 …
According to a 2000 study conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), titled “To Err is Human,” medical error is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States today. Researchers involved in the IOM medical malpractice study estimated that medical mistakes, called “preventable adverse events,” cause between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths and 1,000,000 excess injuries in U.S. hospitals each year. A follow-up study conducted in 2006 found that medication errors in particular are among the most common medical mistakes, resulting in injuries to at least 1.5 million people annually. Medical malpractice is a serious public health issue in our country, resulting in devastating injury and tragic loss of life every year. If you have been injured because of a medical error in Oklahoma, contact our skilled medical malpractice attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center today.
Adverse Effects of Medical Errors
In a 2004 study conducted by HealthGrades, an average of 195,000 people died as a result of preventable medical errors in each of the three previous years. Researchers came to this conclusion by examining three years of Medicare data from all 50 states, which represented 45% of all hospital admissions during that time frame. The study also concluded that these preventable medical malpractice deaths cost taxpayers about $19 billion. The adverse effects of medical errors impact not only the medical malpractice victims, but also their families and taxpayers, too. These figures indicate that action needs to be taken to curb the rate of medical malpractice injuries and to reduce the number of innocent patients who are injured and killed by medical errors.
Contact an OK Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
Medical errors are typically the result of avoidable factors like inexperienced health care providers, inadequate training, under-staffing, long work hours and fatigue. If you have suffered injuries caused by a medical mistake in Oklahoma, consult our experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Oklahoma Legal Center immediately. Our law firm is located in Oklahoma City, and our attorneys have years of experience helping victims of medical errors protect their legal rights. With the help of our knowledgeable medical malpractice lawyers, you can defend yourself against further harm and pursue the financial compensation you deserve for your injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages related to your injuries.