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STATISTICS One in five Americans (22%) report that they or a family member have experienced a medical error of some kind. Nationally, this translates into an estimated 22.8 million people with at least one family member who experienced a mistake in a doctor's office or hospital.
- The Commonwealth Fund, 2002 Of those experiencing a medical mistake, 10 percent reported that they or a family member had gotten sicker, and about half of those said the problem was very serious. Nationally, this means that an estimated 8.1 million households reported a medical mistake that was very serious.
- The Commonwealth Fund, 2002 The new Commonwealth Fund study suggests that the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, which estimated that there are 44,000 to 98,000 deaths annually due to medical errors, may be the tip of the iceberg in determining the full extent of injuries from medical errors.
- The Commonwealth Fund, 2002 Based on the Institute of Medicine's lower estimate of 44,000 deaths annually, medical errors rank as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States higher than motor vehicle accidents (43,458), breast cancer (42,297), or AIDS (16,516).
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2002 In 2002, Americans made 110.2 million visits to hospital emergency rooms, or about 38.9 visits per 100 persons.
- National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 Emergency Department Summary Diagnostic and screening services were ordered or provided by hospital staff at 86.8% of ER visits. - National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 Emergency Department Summary In nearly 1 out of 100 ER visits, the patient required immediate attention (e.g. unconscious or required resuscitation efforts).
- National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 Emergency Department Summary
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