Have you or a family member acquired an infection from a hospital, or experienced a medical error while undergoing care? If so, you’re in good company—or bad company as the case may be—according to a new survey from Consumer Reports National Research Center.
That nationally representative poll of 2,005 Americans found that nearly one in five, or 18 percent, say that they or a family member have contracted a dangerous infection following a medical procedure or hospital stay. What’s more, 60 percent of them say the infection was severe or life threatening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that nearly 100,000 people die each year to such infections.
And many Americans report that errors in routine medical procedures, such as lab work, CAT scans, and blood testing are common as well. More than a third of Americans believe that errors during a diagnostic procedure are very common or somewhat common. Further, thirteen percent report that their medical records have been lost or misplaced; twelve percent say that a diagnostic test was not done properly; and nine percent have had the wrong medicine filled at a pharmacy.
“Healthcare-acquired infections and medical errors can devastate American families who are already struggling with the cost of health care,” said Consumers Union President Jim Guest. “These preventable errors and infections can cost families hundreds—if not thousands—of extra dollars each year, and add tens of billions of dollars to our national health care costs. It is imperative that Congress pass health care reform legislation that includes simple safety provisions to help save lives and fix our broken health care system.”
—Kevin McCarthy, associate editor
Read the full poll (links to PDF) and learn more about Consumers Union’s efforts to prevent hospital infections and medical errors at StopHospitalInfections.org. And we'd like to hear from you: Have you or a loved one been harmed by a hospital error or infection?
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