As medical science continues its unflinching advance, in curing diseases, improving quality of life, and human longevity, it also comes with its share of horror stories that remain conveniently hidden from the broader public.
While society and patients have finally come to accept that doctors aren’t gods, but trained professionals who can and do make mistakes, the sheer number of such mistakes or instances of medical malpractice, as they are called, can be difficult to stomach for most.
If you or a loved one is set to undergo a medical procedure in the coming weeks – tread lightly! Because this article isn’t going to help take your mind off of it. We’ve come across a wide range of shocking medical malpractice stats, only to narrow it down to 6 of the most shocking ones for this article. Longevity Live Paid Content.
How To File A Successful Medical Malpractice Claim?
Here’s a shocking statistic: less than 22% of the nearly 20,000 medical malpractice suits filed each year result in a payment.
If you’ve been a victim of negligence or malpractice by a healthcare service provider, it is only fair that you be compensated for your pain, trauma, and suffering. A medical malpractice attorney can assist in this regard, offering a free consultation and review of comprehensive medical records to see if there is a case to be made.
1. The Third Leading Cause of Death
With 250,000 deaths being reported each year due to medical malpractice in the US, it is now the third leading cause of death in the country, behind only heart disease and cancer.
For a better comparison, this is 20 times the number of deaths resulting from drunk driving across the country. (Source)
Despite the improvements in healthcare technology, standards of care, and compliance requirements in recent years, this figure only continues to grow, with an increase of 155% from 98,000 deaths in 1998.
2. Most Patients Are Victims
As many as 41% of Americans who’ve gone under the knife at some point in their lives believe they were victims of either medical error or malpractice.
While not all of them suffered any major or lasting injuries, figures such as this point towards the monumental risks involved, especially when it comes to surgical procedures.
3. All Practitioners Face Lawsuits
Almost all medical practitioners, that is 99% of them are faced with a lawsuit by the time they turn 65, and 50% are likely to have dealt with multiple malpractice suits by that time. (Source)
Surgeons are most at risk of being sued for malpractice, with general surgery and otolaryngology taking the cake in this regard, and anesthesiologists having the lowest likelihood of being sued, at 58%. (Source)
Figures such as these are reflected in the rising cost of indemnity insurance for medical practitioners and hospitals, which are ultimately passed onto patients.
4. Failure / Delayed Diagnosis Constitutes One-Third of Cases
While surgeons do deal with heightened risks of malpractice suits, on the other hand are physicians who make up the next big chunk, and are not that far behind in this regard, mostly owing to failure or delayed diagnosis of diseases.
As much as 33% of the nearly 20,000 malpractice cases filed each year, pertain not diagnosing properly, or delaying diagnosis, resulting in long-term harm for patients.
5. 1.8% of Doctors Cause 50% of Malpractice Settlements
One of the most shocking figures on this list is that only about 1.8% of doctors in the country contribute to as much as 50% of the total malpractice settlements. This means that there are a handful of practicing doctors who might just be Angels of Death in disguise.
While there is little other information regarding them, or the types of malpractices, frequency, and magnitude of their errors, their history and performance should be reflected in their insurance premiums, but as a patient, the only thing you can do is check reviews online.
Final Words
Despite the high instances of medical malpractices, patients still trust their doctors and continue to have faith in the medical community. This is mainly owing to the tough laws that policymakers have been enacting over the past few decades. These essentially render malpractice, negligence, and errors in the medical context too expensive to ignore.
