"There's A Medical Malpractice Crisis In This Country"
FROM CNN LOU DOBBS TONIGHT
Aired August 24, 2005 - 18:00 ET
DOBBS: One leading cause of death in this
country has nothing to do with any disease or illness, but rather to do with
medical mistakes. Tens of thousands of Americans die every year because of
errors such as medication mix-ups and infections from unsanitary conditions in
medical facilities. Now the World Health Organization is taking notice,
launching a new campaign to reduce deadly medical mistakes.
Christine Romans has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Deadly infections, surgical
mishaps, mixed-up medications, such medical mistakes are the eighth leading
cause of death in this country. Hundreds of people die every day in the United
States due to medical mistakes.
A 1999 Institute of Medicine report found up to 98,000 die each year. Experts
had hoped to cut that number at least in half by now.
SUSAN SHERIDAN, CONSUMERS ADVANCING PATIENT SAFETY: To err is human, but to not
learn from it I think is totally unacceptable. And so for some reason, we've had
this -- the healthcare system has low expectations of themselves at times, and
that we tolerate a certain number of medical errors. And I think we can't think
that way.
ROMANS: Karen Timmons helps set hospital standards in this country and is
working with the World Health Organization to improve patient safety.
KAREN TIMMONS, JOINT COMMISSION INTERNATIONAL: I think it's very important that
Americans and citizens everywhere understand that healthcare is a risky area.
They need to be part of the solution. And patients, families, when an individual
member of the family is admitted to hospital, they need to be part of the team
that is providing the care.
ROMANS: With so many new procedures, the risk of infection has skyrocketed.
Health experts say patients must ask their doctors and nurses to wash their
hands.
Safety experts want to prevent medication mix-ups which hurt 1.3 million people
a year. They also want to develop proper procedures for inserting tubes in the
nose and throat, and preventing surgeries on the wrong body parts. Also
important, creating a new culture where doctors, nurses and pharmacists feel
free to admit mistakes, rather than hide them for fear of litigation.
JANET CORRIGAN, NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR QUALITY HEALTHCARE: One of the best ways
to minimize malpractice is to design safety into their healthcare delivery
system. And by doing so, they will reduce the number of medical errors and the
likelihood that they will be the target of a malpractice lawsuit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: The president recently signed into law a confidential reporting
structure for doctors to report mistakes. Now, safety experts hope that doctors
comply and that hospitals can finally start learning from these tens of
thousands of deadly mistakes -- Lou.
DOBBS: Christine, thank you very much. An alarming report if ever there were
one. Thank you.
An astoundingly unhygienic hospital condition in Virginia has forced more than
100 people there to test for HIV and hepatitis. The former patients of
(INAUDIBLE) hospital all had colonoscopies performed in early July. The problem?
The hospital says the scopes used in those procedures may not have been properly
disinfected.
The hospital calls the risk to patients extremely remote. The patients involved
are being offered blood tests and a follow-up test within six months.
