5 Astounding Medical Malpractice Statistics
Posted on Dec 12, 2009 2:20pm PST
Medical malpractice occurs whenever a medical professional acts negligently by failing to exercise the standard amount of care and treatment that a normal medical professional would exercise in the same situation. Whether you believe it or not, medical malpractice is quite common. This claim is backed by the 5 statistics provided below:
1. In a recent study, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences claimed that approximately 98,000 people will die in hospitals each year due to
medical errors.
2. The New England Journal of Medicine claims that 73% of medical malpractice cases involve medical errors.
3. A Harvard study revealed that only 1 claim per 7.6
hospital injuries is filed. This means that many injured people do not take legal action against negligent medical professionals and hospitals.
4. A disturbing study revealed that sexual misconduct is another area of concern and has led to several malpractice lawsuits. The study states that 6 to 10 percent of medical professionals admitted to having inappropriate sexual contact with patients.
5. The Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that medication errors cause harm to 1.5 million people annually.
Each year, countless people are harmed by medical malpractice as indicated by the aforementioned statistics. If you have been a victim of medical professional negligence,
click here to find a skilled medical malpractice attorney!