When Average Is Not Good Enough
We often hear that the American medical industry is among the best, if not the best, in the world. But for all the cures, medical advances, and lives saved, there still exists a darker side to the medical industry which we hear little about in the media. The understated risk of injury to a patient while in the care of a medical professional is something that is too often swept under the rug or minimized by the medical community. When the rug is lifted though, the reports show that in the United States alone, the number of patient deaths caused by medical error per year range from an estimated 98,000 to 250,000. Other statistics do not paint a much brighter picture. For example, studies suggest that one in seven Medicare patients are injured during medical treatment. Even the average patient will be subject to at least one medication error per day.
So why does the medical industry tolerate such dismal statistics? The answer to this question was recently addressed in an article written by Marshall Allen titled "First Do No Harm." Allen addresses how hospitals and doctors attempt to keep medical error rates within the statistical national average, but do little to achieve a rate below that benchmark. This, Allen believes, creates an even larger problem. While a hospital may appear to have a good safety record, the data really only shows that the hospital has an error rate similar to that established as the national average. Allen argues that the medical industry should strive for an error rate of zero rather than a statistical average, thereby enforcing a zero tolerance policy for medical accidents. Any other goal is untenable for preventable injuries.
Allen also addresses the lack of an accurate reporting system of medical errors within the medical care industry. As the medical industry operates today, it lacks a reliable mechanism to show how safely doctors and hospitals are performing. Often, data concerning reported medical errors is inaccessible to the public. More importantly, the majority of medical mistakes go unreported. Systematically recording errors, Allen argues, would spur improvements in safety in the medical industry, and would drive the accepted standard for error from merely meeting the national average down to zero. The medical industry could police itself through a reporting mechanism, and patients could rely on that system to accurately select the medical professionals with the best reputation for safe practice.
Patients expect to receive safe medical treatment while in the care of medical professionals and do not expect to suffer further injury. No patient should pay escalating costs for injuries that are directly attributable to the hospital or doctor treating him or her. According to Allen, until hospitals strive for zero tolerance, Americans are subject to the possibility of suffering personal injury, or even death, as a result of preventable errors by medical professionals.
For more discussion of these issues, please see Marshall Allen's article, available here.
