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Medical
Malpractice Suits - Death by Medicine
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by:
Anna Henningsgaard
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A
recent report has found that Americans are more frightened of dying at
the hands of their doctor than they are of a plane crash. The
overwhelming majority of those who participated in the survey said that
information about malpractice suits and medical errors would be the
single most deciding factor in trusting a healthcare provider. These
people must have heard that medical errors cause more deaths in the
United States every year than car accidents, AIDS, or breast cancer.
In fact, for the airline industry to parallel medical errors in
mortality rates a 280-person jet would have to crash every day of the
year. This would account for the over 100,000 people who die annually
due to complications in medical care, not to mention the nearly 2
million who are maimed and disabled. This malady is called iatrogenic
disease, a disease that is a direct result of medical care. What is
causing this epidemic? Many agree that the cause is over-treatment.
More medicine is administered than necessary, people are hospitalized
unnecessarily, and doctors prescribe drugs instead of healthy lifestyle
choices. This is a major problem and it shows no signs of stopping.
In the ten year period between 1983 and 1993 the incidence of death by
medical error, or iatrogenic disease, jumped 260% overall and 850%
among patience receiving outpatient care. These statistics could only
be an indication of the true numbers, because medical error is not
often recorded on death certificates. Some people blame the increased
number of deaths on a greater number of prescriptions, but the number
of prescriptions issued has increased less than 40% in 10 years,
compared with the 260% increased death rate. Instead, some doctors
blame increased usage of anesthesia, especially among those receiving
outpatient care.
Medical malpractice insurance rates have been skyrocketing, causing a
small crisis among doctors who must be insured in order to practice.
They complain of medical malpractice lawsuits going out of control,
large cities awarding record settlements, too many people filing
claims. Well can you blame people for filing claims? Doctors must be
held accountable for their prescriptions, and if a doctor writes you a
prescription that hurts you they deserve to be taken to court! This is
truly an epidemic, and it must be stopped by holding irresponsible
healthcare providers responsible. One in five Americans has experienced
medical errors directly or has a family member who has suffered a
medical error. If you feel you have suffered unnecessarily at the hands
of a doctor, seek legal council and work it out with a lawyer.
GA
If you have more questions, contact a medical
error attorney or read about
other medical
malpractice cases at http://www.hugesettlements.com.
About the Author
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