Medical Errors in the U.S. vs. Other Countries

Betty Ann Bowser of PBS NewsHour in April 2011 reported the following:

• A study published in Health Affairs examined the records of 795 patients at three teaching hospitals.
• 354 of the patients had experienced medical mistakes.
• “90 percent of all hospital mistakes go unreported.”

To read the entire article, click on New Study Finds Medical Error Rates are Underreported. To read the entire study in Health Affairs, click on ‘Global Trigger Tool’ Shows That Adverse Events In Hospitals May Be Ten Times Greater Than Previously Measured.

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Karen Davis of The Commonwealth Fund in November 2007 displayed the following data:

She also mentioned “thirty percent of U.S. adults and 22 percent of Canadians said they could make same-day doctor’s appointments, compared with 55 percent in Germany.”

The entire article my be read by clicking on Health Care: Solutions Without Borders. For additional health care statistics between countries, click on Comparing International Health Care Systems.