Leading Cause of Death

Medical errors are recognized to be the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States.

It has been reported that medical errors kill over 250,000 people each year, perhaps as high as 440,000 people each year.

A study published in the Journal of Patient Safety stated “the true number of premature deaths associated with preventable harm to patients was estimated at more than 400,000 per year. Serious harm seems to be 10- to 20-fold more common than lethal harm.”

This means over 1,200 people die every day from medical error.

Medical error is estimated to account for 10% of all deaths in the US.

To put this into perspective, compare deaths by medical error to U.S. military casualties of war. Consider that in the War in Afghanistan 1,833 soldiers were killed, in the Iraq War 4,424 soldiers were killed, in the Civil War 214,938 soldiers were killed, in WWII 291,557 soldiers were killed. Each year in the U.S., medical error kills more people than total combat deaths from any war waged in the history of the country. Being that medical error is significantly underreported, it is possible that more people die each year from hospitals than total combat deaths from all U.S. wars combined.

440,000 deaths per year is shocking especially considering that hospital errors occur 10 times more than reported. Often doctors don’t come forward and admit wrongdoing, and without autopsies hospitals bury their mistakes.

The number of people killed by medical error is often not reported and medical error is not even counted by the CDC as a cause of death.

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~ Medical errors the third leading cause of death in America? – YouTube

~ Death By Doctors: Why Doctors Are The Third Leading Cause Of Death – YouTube

~ EXCLUSIVE: Medical errors are the 3rd leading cause of deaths in the US – YouTube

~ Expensive & deadly- Medical errors 3rd leading cause of death in US – YouTube

~ Is fatal medical error a leading cause of death? – YouTube

~ Johns Hopkins study suggests medical errors are third-leading cause of death in USA – YouTube

~ Medical Error Kills Almost As Many People As Heart Disease – YouTube

~ Medical Errors Are the Third Leading Cause of Death- Study – Time – VIDEO

~ Medical errors killing Americans at a surprising rate – YouTube

~ Medical Errors May Be Third Highest Cause of Death – NBC News – VIDEO

~ Medical errors responsible for many more deaths than thought – YouTube

~ Medical Errors the Third Leading Cause of Death in US – YouTube

~ Medical mistakes 3rd leading cause of death for Americans – YouTube

~ New Research Says Medical Errors are 3rd Leading Cause of Death in US Video – ABC News – VIDEOS

~ New Study- Medical Errors Are 3rd Leading Cause For Death In US – YouTube

~ Report: Medical errors may be 3rd leading cause of US deaths – YouTube

~ Study: Medical errors are third leading cause of death in US – YouTube

~ Study: Medical Errors Are Third Leading Cause of Death – YouTube

~ The Third Biggest Killer In The Nation- Medical Errors. – YouTube

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Mainstream News

• Could Medical Errors Be No. 3 Cause of Death? – NBC News
• Death By Prescription – US News Health
• Five patients die every minute from incorrect medical treatment, according to the World Health Organization – Business Insider
• Hospital medical errors that harm patients, a leading cause of death, plummet in study – oregonlive.com
• How Many Die From Medical Mistakes in U.S. Hospitals? — ProPublica
• How Many Die From Medical Mistakes In U.S. Hospitals? – Health News
• How Many Die from Medical Mistakes in U.S. Hospitals? – Scientific American
• Ignored As An Election Issue, Deaths From Medical Errors Have Researchers Alarmed – Forbes
• Is fatal medical error a leading cause of death? – PBS NewsHour
• Johns Hopkins study suggests medical errors are third-leading cause of death in U.S. – John Hopkins University
• Medical Error Is A Leading Cause Of Death, But You Won’t See It On The CDC’s List – Forbes
• Medical errors 3rd leading cause of death, BMJ study finds – The San Diego Union-Tribune
• Medical Errors Are No. 3 Cause Of U.S Deaths, Researchers Say – NPR
• Medical errors are No. 3 cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer – Los Angeles Times
• Medical Errors Are the 3rd Leading Cause of Death – Consumer Reports
• Medical Errors Are The Third Leading Cause Of Death: How You Can Avoid Them – HuffPost Life
• Medical Errors Are the Third Leading Cause of Death: Study – Time
• Medical errors are third-leading cause of death in the US – STAT
• Medical Errors Are Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. – US News
• Medical Errors, Deaths Linked Again: Called Third-Leading Cause in US  – Newsmax.com
• Medical errors estimated to be third leading cause of U.S. deaths – Chicago Tribune
• Medical errors in America kill more people than AIDS or drug overdoses. Here’s why. – Vox
• Medical errors may be 3rd leading cause of death in U.S. – CNN
• Medical errors now 3rd leading cause of death in U.S., study suggests – CBS News
• Medical Errors Should Not Be Our 3rd Leading Cause of Death – HuffPost
• ‘Minor’ Errors In Medical Records Can Have Major Consequences – HuffPost
• More Americans died from medical mistakes than from 9-11 – Times Union
• Researchers: Medical errors now third leading cause of death in United States – The Washington Post
• Second study says medical errors third-leading cause of death in U.S – USA Today
• Study: medical errors are the third biggest cause of death in America – Vox
• Stunning News On Preventable Deaths In Hospitals – Forbes
• Survive Your Hospital Stay: Medical errors are linked to 440,000 deaths each year. Our new Ratings can help you find a safe hospital. – Consumer Reports
• The third-leading cause of death in US most doctors don’t want you to know about – CNBC
• Why Are Medical Mistakes Our Third Leading Cause of Death – HuffPost Life

Independent News

• 440,000 Deaths Annually from Preventable Hospital Mistakes – The National Trial Lawyers
• CDC Asked to List Medical Error as ‘3rd Most Common Cause of Death in US’ – CNSNews
• Doctors are Third Leading Cause of Death!- Jesus is Savior
• Doctors Are the Leading Cause of Death: Top Reasons You Can’t Trust Your Doctor – Prepare for Change
• Doctors are the Third Leading Cause of Death – Health Scams Exposed
• Deaths by medical mistakes hit records Healthcare IT News
• Hospitals – The Most Dangerous Places in the World – Mercola
• How Pharmaceuticals Came To Be The 4th Leading Cause Of Death in America – Collective Evolution
• Medical Care The Third Leading Cause of Death – NutritionFacts.org
• Medical errors officially the third leading cause of death in U.S. – Physician’s Weekly
• Medical Errors: STILL the Third Leading Cause of Death – Wake Up World
• Medical Errors: STILL the Third Leading Cause of Death By Joseph Mercola – LewRockwell
• Medical system is leading cause of death and injury in US – Sepp Hasslberger
• Millions harmed each year from unsafe medical care – Medical Xpress
• New Report: Preventable Medical Mistakes Account for One-Sixth of All Annual Deaths in the United States – Mercola
• Study: Medical Error is the Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. – The Vaccine Reaction
• Study: Medical Mistakes 3rd Leading Cause Of Death In United States – Mint Press News
• Study Suggests Medical Errors Now Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. – Johns Hopkins Medicine
• The American Medical System Is The Leading Cause Of Death And Injury In The United States – Our Civilisation
• WHO calls for urgent action to reduce patient harm in healthcare – World Health Organization

Reports

• Hospital Errors are the Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S., and New Hospital Safety Scores Show Improvements Are Too Slow – Leapfrog Hospital Safety Guide
• John James a New Evidence Based Estimate of Patient Harms 2013 – PDF
• Killer Care: How Medical Error Became America’s Third Largest Cause of Death, and What Can Be Done About It on JSTOR
• Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US – BMJ
• Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US. BMJ – Sci-Hub – PDF
• Medical error-the third leading cause of death in the US – PubMed
• Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US – BMJ – PDF
• Medical Mistakes Are ‘Leading Cause’ of Death and Disability – WebMD
• Report: Preventing Death And Injury From Medical Errors Requires Dramatic, System-Wide Changes – ScienceDaily
• Study Suggests Medical Errors Now Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. – Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Trends in Inpatient Hospital Deaths- National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2000–2010 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Your Health Care May Kill You- Medical Errors – PubMed

Websites

~ Pharma Death Clock