Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Study: More Deaths Due to Medical Errors, Fewer Preventable by IT

      Written by

      M.L. Baker
      Published July 28, 2004
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

        A new report doubles the current estimate of deaths due to preventable medical errors—to 195,000—and concludes that IT would not address the causes of the deaths.

        The oft-cited figure of 98,000 deaths per year comes from a report by the Institute of Medicine published in 1999. The newer report uses a collection of PSIs (patient safety indicators) recently developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to screen hospital administrative data for incidents that should elicit concern for patient safety.

        To arrive at the studys estimate, researchers first identified rates of PSI from records of about 37 million Medicare patients from 2000 to 2002, assessed how these incidents would affect mortality and cost in the same population, and then extrapolated to the general population. Excluding obstetric deaths (which would not have been reflected in the Medicare population), the researchers estimated that the patient safety incidents caused an additional $19 billion in in-patient costs and over 575,000 preventable deaths in the United States from 2000 to 2002.

        Three PSIs accounted for nearly 60 percent of those assessed in the study: failure to rescue (i.e. failure to diagnose and treat in time), decubitus ulcer and post-operative sepsis. Three-quarters of the deaths attributable to patient safety incidents in the Medicare patients were due to failure to rescue and unexpected death in low-risk hospitalizations. These two categories were not included in the IOM analysis, according to the researchers.

        The researchers say the problem of preventable medical errors is not addressed largely because it is sufficiently acknowledged. Blaming people instead of systems also contributes to the catastrophe, because unreported incidents keep flawed systems from being analyzed and improved. In addition, hospitals need more financing and other resources.

        Better IT tools are only a minor part of the solution. The report states that “the commonly talked-about solutions to health cares broken system, computerized physician order entry system (CPOE) and electronic medical records, for example, will not be able to prevent the majority of patient safety incidents we identified as significant contributors to preventable deaths and excess costs each year.”

        /zimages/5/28571.gifA study says physicians are resisting electronic order entry. Read about it here.

        Instead, the researchers say that hospitals should focus on what the study identified as main contributors to mortality: failure to rescue, decubitus ulcer, postoperative sepsis and postoperative pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis.

        The report was compiled by Health Grades Inc. and is available in pdf form.

        /zimages/5/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Health Care Center at http://healthcare.eweek.com for the latest news, views and analysis of technologys impact on health care.

        M.L. Baker
        M.L. Baker
        Monya Baker is co-editor of CIOInsight.com's Health Care Center. She has written for publications including the journal Nature Biotechnology, the Acumen Journal of Sciences and the American Medical Writers Association, among others, and has worked as a consultant with biotechnology companies.

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Artificial Intelligence

        9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

        Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
        AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
        Read more
        Cloud

        RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

        Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
        RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
        Read more
        Artificial Intelligence

        8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

        Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
        Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
        Read more
        Latest News

        Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

        James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
        I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
        Read more
        Video

        Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

        James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
        I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×