61725 Medical Error Prevention Strategies

Course overview

Discussion about medical errors, including how medical errors occur, common medical error prevention strategies, and patient populations vulnerable to adverse medical events associated with medical errors. The Institute of Medicines (IOMs) legendary report in 1999, To Err is Human, estimated 98,000 iatrogenic deaths making it the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.A. A later study in 2010 yielded almost twice that many deaths at 180,000. The most recent study in 2013 suggested the numbers range from 210,000 to 440,000 deaths per year. The latter number would make it the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. However, these numbers can only be estimated because medical records are often inaccurate and providers might be reluctant to disclose mistakes.