How often does medical malpractice occur? | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

According to statistics from the Journal of the American Medical Association, almost 300,000 deaths occur each year as a direct result of medical malpractice. These deaths are caused by the following:

  • Negative effects of medications result in 106,000 deaths each year
  • Infections occurring in hospitals result in 80,000 deaths each year
  • Non-medical errors in hospitals result in 20,000 deaths each year
  • Medical errors in hospitals result in 7,000 deaths each year
  • Unnecessary surgeries result in 2,000 deaths each year