Categories: Need to know

Going to hospital is riskier than flying, WHO says

Millions die each year from medical errors, infections

by macleans.ca on Friday, July 22, 2011 11:49am - 9 Comments

According to the World Health Organization, going to the hospital is much risker than flying, since millions of people die every year due to medical errors and infections that are linked to health care. The WHO’s envoy for patient safety, Liam Donaldson, told Reuters that “something like 1 in 10″ people who go to hospital “in any country” face the risk of being subjected to medical error, while chances of dying due to a health care mistake are 1 in 300. The risk of dying in an air crash, he continued, is about 1 in 10 million. Of every 100 hospitalized patients in developed countries, seven will acquire at least one infection related to their care; in developing countries, the number rises to 10.

Reuters

Tags: health

Anonymous

Considering several planes crash every year and no one ever survives. I dont know how you got 1 in 10million. seems a little more likely than that.
Every year more than 1,000 people died in plane crashes. About 4000 people per year die from “accidents” in hospitals. These numbers do not support your claim of “1 in 300″ and “1 in 10 million” Nice scare tactics though

Anonymous

Whether the stats are completely accurate or not, the message is valid. Never blindly take medication in the hospital without asking what it is and what it is for. These professionals are human beings who do make mistakes. Sometimes they give medications meant for one person to another person. If they are trying to give you a heart medication and you do not have a heart condition, refuse it! That is your right and your responsibility. As for infections, it is true that there are infections that only exist in hospitals – they are known as nosocomial infections. For that reason alone, a hospital stay is not a good idea if you can avoid it. If you cannot, make sure you practice excellent handwashing and don’t touch door handles with your bare hands. Also, remind your physician and nurses, if necessary to wash their hands, before examining you. They might appear miffed, however, you have to look out for yourself. They should be handwashing at your sink in front of you.
Anonymous

Whether the stats are completely accurate or not, the message is valid. Never blindly take medication in the hospital without asking what it is and what it is for. These professionals are human beings who do make mistakes. Sometimes they give medications meant for one person to another person. If they are trying to give you a heart medication and you do not have a heart condition, refuse it! That is your right and your responsibility. As for infections, it is true that there are infections that only exist in hospitals – they are known as nosocomial infections. For that reason alone, a hospital stay is not a good idea if you can avoid it. If you cannot, make sure you practice excellent handwashing and don’t touch door handles with your bare hands. Also, remind your physician and nurses, if necessary to wash their hands, before examining you. They might appear miffed, however, you have to look out for yourself. They should be handwashing at your sink in front of you.

Anonymous

Considering several planes crash every year and no one ever survives. I dont know how you got 1 in 10million. seems a little more likely than that.
Every year more than 1,000 people died in plane crashes. About 4000 people per year die from “accidents” in hospitals. These numbers do not support your claim of “1 in 300″ and “1 in 10 million” Nice scare tactics though
Anonymous

C’mon Macleans, this is a ridiculous comparison. Why not compare the cost of gasoline in Calgary to the cost of a haircut in Thailand – that comparison would be just as valid as the one that you appear to be trying to propogate.

Now here is an article that actually links the topic of flying and the topic of hospital stays in a way that is about 63 times more valid than the blog article.
Anonymous

C’mon Macleans, this is a ridiculous comparison. Why not compare the cost of gasoline in Calgary to the cost of a haircut in Thailand – that comparison would be just as valid as the one that you appear to be trying to propogate.

Now here is an article that actually links the topic of flying and the topic of hospital stays in a way that is about 63 times more valid than the blog article.
http://www.spiralyne.co.uk spirulina

Not surprised. I do hope something is done to improve this!

Anonymous

Yes, we in healthcare are always working to improve the safety of hospital stays. One thing is that we make it easy & safe for people to report their errors so that they do so without fear of discipline. From those reportings, we then look for trends in why errors occur. One reason errors occur is labelling of medications – certain medications should not be even stocked on the unit - IV potassium is one of those medications. It was packaged much like saline but if you used it to flush an IV – the person would die of a heart arythmia (it is used to stop the heart in lethal injections). It is added to IV bags in large dilutions but this can be accomplished in the pharmacy and the drug should not be on the unit. Another thing that was learned was that residents should only work a certain number of hours before they are taken off shift as they make too many errors. There is also the practice of cataloguing every item in the OR so that nothing is left inside the patient. As I advised earlier, patients must be their own advocates. Don’t take any medication you do not recognize before questioning what it is for and why it was ordered for you.
The problems with nosocomial infections are more difficult. These are hard to treat due the fact that many are resistent to antibiotics. As I mentioned earlier, if at all possible, try to be treated as an outpatient. Otherwise practice strict hygeine and insist on it from your caregivers.