The risk of an error on an aeroplane is one in 2,000,000. The risk of an error in hospital is one in 200.
The risk of an error on an aeroplane is one in 2,000,000. The risk of an error in hospital is one in 200. When we go into hospital for an operation we put our lives in the hands of professionals and trust them to make us better, not worse. But horrifying statistics on both sides of the Atlantic suggest that our trust is misplaced. Each year in America, studies suggest, medical errors lead to 120,000 deaths. In the UK it’s 40,000 – ten times more people than die on UK roads. The key thing is that most of these deaths could be prevented. Why Doctors Make Mistakes investigates a new breed of doctors who are willing to face their errors and learn from them in the hope that this will make medicine safer. At last, the profession is realising that a climate of blame, scapegoats and litigation works against reducing error in medicine.
