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| Despite
High Rates of Medical Errors, Public Not Overly Concerned |
| Released
By - American College of Healthcare Executives |
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More than 40 percent of the
public and 35 percent of physicians have experienced medical
errors in the course of receiving care, according to a recent
survey published by The New England Journal of Medicine. Despite
the fact that 24 percent of the public experienced "serious
health consequences" from errors, both the public and
physicians stated that medical errors are not among the top
problems facing healthcare today. Only 5 percent of the public and
6 percent of physicians identified medical errors as a top
concern. Professional liability, lawsuits, healthcare costs, and
prescription drug costs were all seen as more serious issues than
medical errors.
Although physicians and the public
disagreed on many of the underlying causes of errors and on
effective strategies for reducing errors, both groups supported
the use of sanctions against individual health professionals
perceived as responsible for serious errors.
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