Medical Error Deaths

Deaths from medical errors could be up to 4.5 times higher than previously reported

The number of U.S. hospital patients who die from medical errors each year could be up to 4.5 times higher than the Institute of Medicine estimated in its landmark 1999 report, "To Err is Human," according to a study in the Journal of Patient Safety.  A report in Becker's Hospital Review indicates that the number of deaths linked to preventable adverse events could be as high as 440,000 deaths annually, one-sixth of all annual U.S. deaths.