Wat is de kans om te overlijden door een medische fout?

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2/4 bronnen onafhankelijk woordelijk geverifieerd tegenover de geciteerde bron

1. [1] BMJ (British Medical Journal) — Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US Vakgenoten-beoordeeld

   Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US

   Statistiek

   An estimated 251,454 deaths per year in the US stem from medical error, making it the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer

   Fragment

   “"Based on a total of 35,416,020 hospitalizations, the researchers calculated that 251,454 deaths stemmed from medical error, translating to 9.5 percent of all deaths each year in the U.S." ”

   Brongegevens van

   2016-05-03

   Geraadpleegd

   2026-04-18 · gearchiveerde kopie

   Berekening

   Makary & Daniel extrapolated from four studies (Healthgrades 2004, OIG 2010, AHRQ 2008, Landrigan 2010) that measured preventable adverse event rates in hospitalized patients. They applied these rates to total US hospitalizations (~35.4 million/year) to estimate ~251,000 deaths. This is not a direct count — it is a modeled extrapolation. The figure has been criticized for conflating "contributed to death" with "caused death" and for applying rates from high-acuity samples to all hospitalizations. Nevertheless, it remains the most widely cited estimate and was published in a major peer-reviewed journal. Native rate: 251,454 / 3,090,000 total US deaths ≈ 0.081. Lifetime interpretation: ~8.5% probability that any given US adult's death will involve a preventable medical error.

2. [2] Journal of Patient Safety — A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care Vakgenoten-beoordeeld

   A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care

   Statistiek

   Between 210,000 and 440,000 patients per year suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death in hospitals

   Fragment

   “"Using a weighted average of the 4 studies, a lower limit of 210,000 deaths per year was associated with preventable harm in hospitals. Given limitations in the search capability of the Global Trigger Tool and the incompleteness of medical records on which the Tool depends, the true number of premature deaths associated with preventable harm to patients was estimated at more than 400,000 per year." ”

   Brongegevens van

   2013-09-01

   Geraadpleegd

   2026-04-18 · gearchiveerde kopie

   Berekening

   James (2013) used the Global Trigger Tool methodology across four studies to estimate preventable hospital deaths. His upper bound of 440,000 is substantially higher than Makary's 251,000 and reflects broader inclusion criteria. The lower bound of 210,000 aligns more closely with Makary. This range (210,000-440,000) drives the uncertainty band: 210,000/3,090,000 ≈ 0.068 at the low end; 440,000/3,090,000 ≈ 0.142 at the high end. The central estimate of 250,000 sits near the lower bound of James's range and the central estimate of Makary's.

   Onafhankelijkheid

   James's study uses different underlying data (Global Trigger Tool reviews) from Makary & Daniel's extrapolation approach. The two estimates converge on a similar order of magnitude through independent methodologies.

3. [3] World Health Organization — Patient Safety Fact Sheet Geverifieerd Gerenommeerde referentie

   Patient Safety Fact Sheet

   Statistiek

   1 in every 10 patients is harmed in health care; more than 3 million deaths occur annually due to unsafe care globally

   Fragment

   “"Around 1 in every 10 patients is harmed in health care and more than 3 million deaths occur annually due to unsafe care. The risk of patient death occurring due to a preventable medical accident while receiving health care is estimated to be 1 in 300." ”

   Brongegevens van

   2023-09-01

   Geraadpleegd

   2026-04-18 · gearchiveerde kopie

   Verificatie

   Fragment onafhankelijk opnieuw opgehaald en woord voor woord bevestigd tegenover de geciteerde bron tijdens onze onderbouwingsaudit.

   Berekening

   WHO's global figure of 3 million deaths from unsafe care is broadly consistent with the US estimate when scaled by population. The US (~330 million) is roughly 4% of the global population (~8 billion); 4% of 3 million = 120,000, which is lower than the US estimates but reflects lower healthcare utilization intensity in many countries. The WHO's "1 in 300" per-encounter risk figure is not directly comparable to the lifetime figure used here but provides independent corroboration that medical error is a major cause of preventable death.

4. [4] Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) — Measuring and Responding to Deaths From Medical Errors Geverifieerd Overheidsrapport

   Measuring and Responding to Deaths From Medical Errors

   Statistiek

   Estimates range from 44,000-98,000 (IOM 1999) to 250,000+ (Makary 2016); measurement remains contested

   Fragment

   “"Estimates of the population toll of deaths from medical error are extrapolations from individual studies in which there were very few deaths. While there is general consensus about the frequency of preventable harm in hospitals, the number of deaths that directly results from these preventable adverse events is controversial." ”

   Brongegevens van

   2023-01-15

   Geraadpleegd

   2026-04-18 · gearchiveerde kopie

   Verificatie

   Fragment onafhankelijk opnieuw opgehaald en woord voor woord bevestigd tegenover de geciteerde bron tijdens onze onderbouwingsaudit.

   Berekening

   AHRQ's PSNet perspective explicitly acknowledges the measurement controversy. The IOM's original 1999 estimate (44,000-98,000) would yield a lifetime fraction of 1.4%-3.2% — still substantial but much lower than the Makary/James estimates. The AHRQ commentary does not endorse a specific number but notes "general consensus about the frequency of preventable harm." This entry uses the Makary figure as the central estimate because it is the most widely cited in the peer-reviewed literature, while the uncertainty band (1.5%-14%) spans from the IOM lower bound to the James upper bound.