• 28
  • October
    2010

Every year thousands of Americans are seriously injured or killed by preventable medical errors. According to a study published by the Institute of Medicine, 98,000 Americans die every year from preventable medical errors. According to the same study, preventable medical errors cost Americans $29 billion each year. The Centers for Disease Control does not list preventable medical errors and medical malpractice as a cause of death category. But if it did, preventable medical errors would rank as the sixth leading cause of death in the country.

Among all age groups, senior citizens are uniquely at risk to medical errors. Even though senior citizens account for 13 percent of the United States' population, senior citizens make up 34 percent of all negative drug incidents. Seventy percent of adverse drug events are preventable and every year seniors who are long-term care residents experience 1.9 million negative drug incidents. The number of adverse drug events that threaten a senior's life or are fatal is near 86,000.

Take the story of one elderly woman who went into a hospital for a routine heart surgery as an example of a senior citizen who experienced an easily preventable medical mistake. Before she had her surgery, the 71-year-old woman was told she would be home in a week. The elderly woman never left the hospital. Unfortunately, the elderly woman developed a staph infection due to the hospital staff's poor hygiene. The woman spent over a year in the hospital and died there from her complications. Doctors and staff failed to wear sterile clothing and did not wash their hands. Due to cost concerns, the hospital also failed to upgrade its air filtration system and declined putting infected patients in private rooms.

Source: American Association for Justice, "Standing Up For Seniors: How the Civil Justice System Protects Elderly Americans," October, 2010