Iatrogenics - Death by Doctors
Dangers of Prescription Medications
Did you know that when a drug representative spends one minute with a doctor, the doctor's prescriptions for that drug increased 16 percent? With three minutes time with a drug rep their prescription rate for that particular drug rises to 52%. This report is from Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D., who studies industry tactics. Source: Jan/Feb 2008 Vol. 40 AARP Bulletin - www.aarp.org/bulletin
Main Entry: iat·ro·gen·ic
Function: adjective
: induced inadvertently by a
physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures. - Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary -
Table Of Iatrogenic Deaths In The United States
(Deaths induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures)
| Condition | Deaths | Cost | Author |
| Adverse Drug Reactions | 106,000 | $12 billion | Lazarou (1) Suh (49) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical error | 98,000 | $2 billion | IOM (6) |
| Bedsores | 115,000 | $55 billion | Xakellis (7) Barczak (8) |
| Infection | 88,000 | $5 billion | Weinstein (9) MMWR (10) |
| Malnutrition | 108,800 | — | Nurses Coalition (11) |
| Outpatients | 199,000 | $77 billion | Starfield ( 12) Weingart (1, 12) |
| Unnecessary Procedures | 37,136 | $122 billion | HCUP(3, 13) |
| Surgery-Related | 32,000 | $9 billion | AHRQ(85) |
| TOTAL | 783,936 | $282 billion | |
We could have an even higher death rate by using Dr. Lucien Leape's 1997 medical and drug error rate of 3 million. (14) Multiplied by the fatality rate of 14 percent (that Leape used in 1994 (16) we arrive at an annual death rate of 420,000 for drug errors and medical errors combined. If we put this number in place of Lazorou's 106,000 drug errors and the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) 98,000 medical errors, we could add another 216,000 deaths making a total of 999,936 deaths annually.
| ADR/med error | 420,000 | $200 billion | Leape 1997(14) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 999,936 | ||
Annual Unnecessary Medical Events
| Unnecessary Events | People Affected | Iatrogenic Events |
| Hospitalization | 8.9 million(4) | 1.78 million(16) |
| Procedures | 7.5 million(3) | 1.3 million(40) |
| TOTAL | 16.4 million | 3.08 million |
|---|
The enumerating of unnecessary medical events is very important in our analysis. Any medical procedure that is invasive and not necessary must be considered as part of the larger iatrogenic picture. Unfortunately, cause and effect go unmonitored. The figures on unnecessary events represent people ("patients") who are thrust into a dangerous health care system. They are helpless victims. Each one of these 16.4 million lives is being affected in a way that could have a fatal consequence. Simply entering a hospital could result in the following (out of 16. 4 million people):
- 2.1 percent chance of a serious adverse drug reaction (186,000) (1)
- 5 percent to 6 percent chance of acquiring a nosocomial [hospital] infection (489,500) (9)
- 4 percent to 36 percent chance of having an iatrogenic injury in hospital (medical error and adverse drug reactions) (1.78 million) (16)
- 17 percent chance of a procedure error (1.3 million) (40)
All the statistics above represent a one-year time span. Imagine the numbers over a 10-year period. Working with the most conservative figures from our statistics we project the following 10-year death rates.
Medical Intervention
| Projected Ten-Year Death Rates | |
|---|---|
| Condition | 10-Year Deaths |
| Adverse Drug Reaction | 1.06 million |
| Medical error | 0.98 million |
| Bedsores | 1.15 million |
| Nosocomial Infection | 0.88 million |
| Malnutrition | 1.09 million |
| Outpatients | 1.99 million |
| Unnecessary Procedures | 371,360 |
| Surgery-related | 320,000 |
| TOTAL | 7,841,360 (7.8 million) |
Our projected statistic of 7.8 million iatrogenic deaths is more than all the casualties from wars that America has fought in its entire history.
Our projected figures for unnecessary medical events occurring over a 10-year period are also dramatic.
Unnecessary Intervention
| Projected Ten-Year Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unnecessary Events | 10-Year Number | Iatrogenic Events |
| Hospitalization | 89 million | 17 million |
| Procedures | 75 million | 13 million |
| TOTAL | 164 million | 30 million |
These projected figures show that a total of 164 million people, approximately 56 percent of the population of the United States, have been treated unnecessarily by the medical industry—in other words, nearly 50,000 people per day.
Source: Leading Cause of DeathThe untimely death of actor Heath Ledger recently in Jan of 2008, and since then many more, are examples of how dangerous prescription medications can be. Sometimes it may not be that one prescription drug is enough of a poison to the human body but when additional chemical drugs are added to the recipe, this can be fatal. As we learn more on the process and procedure by which these prescription drugs are being manufactured, marketed and prescribed to unknowing loved ones, it must raise the question of safety. Remember, Vioxx was also an FDA approved drug that killed over 60,000 of our friends and loved ones right here in the United States. For more information on the leading cause of death and the largest contributor to the current health care crisis please visit: Leading Cause of Death
