Study Finds Medical Errors Oft Perceived

More than one-third of U.S. doctors and nearly half of the public say they or members of their family have been victims of medical errors, a study published yesterday by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Kaiser Family Foundation found.

Of the 831 physicians and 1,207 adults examined in the April-July nationwide survey, 7 percent of physicians and 10 percent of the public reported these errors had resulted in death, while 6 percent and 11 percent, respectively, said they caused long-term disability.

“It’s an epidemic,” said Andrew Meyer of Lubin & Meyer, a Boston law firm that specializes in medical cases.

According to its authors, the scope of medical errors suggested by the Harvard survey is conservative in comparison to a 2000 report by the Institute of Medicine based solely on medical records. That study estimated between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year as a result of doctors’ mistakes.

“The most surprising thing is that the public and the physicians don’t generally agree with what quality experts think are the causes and solutions to these problems,” said HSPH Senior Research Associate Catherine M. DesRoches, who is the secondary author of the study. “And they don’t think it happens nearly as often.”

While physicians blame a shortage of nurses and the public cites doctors’ insufficient attention, experts—including the Harvard study’s authors—say the problem’s resolution lies in computer programs for ordering drugs and tests.

“It’s absolutely staggering to me,” said Harvard researcher and lead author of the study Robert J. Blendon to the Washington Post about the medical world’s neglect of this safety measure.

“At Harvard, it is like giving water to people who are thirsty—everyone agrees it works,” Blendon said referring to the benefits of improved technology.

DesRoches said the HSPH and Kaiser study makes it clear that consensus-building needs to occur.

“An important thing that’s going to have to happen is convincing the medical society that these strategies are actually going to work,” she said.

While the debate over the best plan of action continues, 60 percent of the doctors who reported errors predicted they would see similar numbers of mistakes in the next year.