News, Reports & Studies

While the nation’s media focuses on just a few examples of medical error fatalities each year, the actual number of deaths between 92,000 and 200,000 annually; approximately 252 deaths each and every day, making healthcare the most high-risk industry in the world.

Hospitals are attempting to confront this pandemic in their own individual manner. Hence, there are over 5,875 various error reduction programs in the country….and yet…over the past 5-years, the error rate continues to increase! Facility specific efforts never work against industry issues.

eAppliedData represents the first inter-facility cooperative and standardized address of the global medical error pandemic.

“To Err Is Human”  1999 Medical Error Study Published by the Institutes of Medicine

“Horrific cases that make the headlines are just the tip of the iceberg.  Two large studies, one conducted in Colorado and Utah and the other in New York, found that the adverse events occurred in 2.9 and 3.7 percent of hospitalizations, respectively.  In Colorado and Utah hospitals, 6.6 percent of adverse events led to death, as compared with 13.6 percent in New York hospitals.  In both of these studies, over half of these adverse events resulted from medical errors and could have been prevented.”

President Bush's 2007 State of the Union Address (January 23, 2007)

"There are many other ways that Congress can help. We need to expand Health Savings Accounts. We need to help small businesses through Association Health Plans. We need to reduce costs and medical errors with better information technology. We will encourage price transparency. And to protect good doctors from junk lawsuits, we passing medical liability reform. In all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors." - President Bush's 2007 State of the Union Address (January 23, 2007)

(Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2007/index.html)

"Up to 17 babies given overdoses of blood thinner", 9  July 2008 CNN.com

"A Corpus Christi, Texas, hospital is investigating how up to 17 babies in a neonatal intensive care unit received overdoses of the blood thinner heparin. One of the babies died."

"Dennis Quaid - Quaid's babies given accidental drug overdose", 20 November 2007 Contactmusic.com

"Actor Dennis Quaid's newborn twins have been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital's intensive care unit after they were accidentally given a drug overdose."

"Partnering for better care", 29 October 2007 Boston Globe

"...According to the same group, some 1.5 million Americans are injured by medication errors every year. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the partnership showed that nearly one in five adults in Massachusetts has experienced a medical error, while 52 percent know someone who has."

"The Emotional Toll of Medical Mistakes", 26 October 2007 The NY Times

"...One well-known study estimated that as many as 98,000 hospital deaths a year stem from mistakes by health care workers...The New England Journal of Medicine tackled the issue yesterday in a moving commentary called “Guilty, Afraid and Alone: Struggling with Medical Error.’’"

"Guilty, Afraid, and Alone — Struggling with Medical Error", 25 October 2007 The New England Journal of Medicine

"Since 1999, health care professionals have been focusing on To Err Is Human, the Institute of Medicine report that sounded alarms about medical error."

"Bacterium stalked neo-natal ward", 27 April 2007 Globe and Mail

"Six premature babies died and 50 others were sickened by a bacterium in the neo-natal ward of Sainte-Justine's Hospital a Montreal pediatric hospital over an 18-month period, according to a media report."

"Hospitals In Crisis", 16 April 2007  NewsChannel5.com

"Hospitals across the country are in the middle of a crisis. Each year, 100,000 people die from medical mistakes. The cause - medical errors by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and technicians."

"Lawmakers urge probe on doc hours, error", 11 April 2007  United Press International

"Medical company chooses Charleston for headquarters", 11 January 2007 Charleston Regional Business Journal

"A new company aiming to globally reduce medical errors has chosen Charleston as its headquarters. The company plans to hire 160 employees over the next two years."

“LA Hospital Cited by Health Officials”, January 2007, The Associated Press

“California Department of Health Services faulted hospital staff for not following manufacturer's recommendations for sterilizing laryngoscope blades, which are used to insert breathing tubes. The report said the respiratory therapy staff simply wiped the blades with soap, tap water and alcohol wipes.”

“Medical error led to death of patient, 77”, January 2007, Vince Gledhill, The Evening Chronicle

“A hospital chief has been criticized by a coroner after medical staff's blunders… Desmond Keith died of a heart attack after picking up a blood infection from a needle which had been left in the back of his hand for too long.”

"MedErr DataApplication Ltd. chooses Charleston", 11 January 2007   THE POST & COURIER

"A startup company that is developing software to reduce medical errors has chosen Charleston as its headquarters."

"An Intervention to Decrease Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections in the ICU", 28 December 2006 THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE

"Background Catheter-related bloodstream infections occurring in the intensive care unit (ICU) are common, costly, and potentially lethal."

"Serious And Deadly ICU Blood Infections Could Be Cut By Two Thirds With Basic Training", 28 December 2006 MEDICAL NEWS TODAY

"A US pilot study suggests that training staff to stick to basic hygiene measures like routine handwashing and following inexpensive, common sense guidelines, could reduce catheter-related blood infections in the ICU..."

"Los Angeles hospital closes 2 units after bacteria infects 7 children, officials say", 16 December 2006 INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

"A hospital has closed its neonatal and pediatrics intensive care units to new admissions after a potentially fatal bacterium sickened seven children, including an infant who may have died from the infection...."

“Hospital-acquired infections take toll on bottom lines”, November 2006, Julie Appleby, USA Today

“Hospitals nationwide are being asked to provide more information on cost and quality, but many have balked at providing information on hospital-acquired infections. Debate is ongoing about what types of infections should be reported and how to tell whether patients got the infections while in the hospital, came to the facility with them or developed them after being discharged.”

USA TODAY:  Hospitals too Slow on Heart Attacks, 12 November 2006

“Only about one-third of hospitals provide emergency care to heart attack patients quickly enough to meet scientific guidelines for saving lives…..”

Pennsylvania Hospitals Report 2005 Hospital Acquired Infection Rates
 "The report said hospital-borne infections contributed to nearly 400,000 additional days that patients spent in hospitals...The average private insurer's payment for a patient who contracted a hospital-borne infection was almost $54,000, more than six times the amount for a patient who did not contract one."

Human Error Blamed For 2 Preemie Deaths,  Monday, 18 September 2006 AP

“Two premature infants died after receiving adult doses of a blood thinner, a hospital spokesmen said Sunday, blaming the incident on human error….”  “Four other infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit of Methodist Hospital also received adult doses of Heparin.  One may need surgery and the other three are in serious condition…”

Wall Street Journal Examines Programs to Reduce Medical Errors, 25 May 2006

“The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined programs aimed at reducing the number of medication errors in hospitals.”

“New Mom in Indiana Paralyzed After Hospital Mistake”, October 2006 foxnews.com

“A hospital that gave lethal doses of a drug to three premature babies has made another medication mistake, giving a new mother a painkiller 10 times faster than intended and making her temporarily unable to walk”

“State investigating care in baby's case”, February 2006 The Honolulu Advertiser

“Izzy was injured from inhaling carbon dioxide instead of oxygen for more than 40 minutes after his birth. The baby's mother, Shalay Peterson, and the family's attorney, Rick Fried, told The Advertiser that Bird administered the carbon dioxide to Izzy, thinking it was oxygen, and treated him throughout the ordeal.”

Modern Health Care System is the Leading Cause of Death, Gary Null PhD, Carolyn Dean MD ND, Martin Feldman MD, Debora Rasio MD, Dorothy Smith PhD

“As few as 5 percent and only up to 20 percent of iatrogenic acts are ever reported.  This implies that if medical errors were completely and accurately reported, we would have a much higher annual iatrogenic death rate than 783,936. Dr. Leape, in 1994, said his figure of 180,000 medical mistakes annually was equivalent to three jumbo-jet crashes every two days.  Our report shows that six jumbo jets are falling out of the sky each and every day. “

Texas Medical Center News:  Nursing, Medical errors and the Healthcare System:  What’s Gone Wrong?  Can it be Fixed?  1 December 2000

“Recent news articles, building off a highly publicized series in the Chicago Tribune, have focused on nurses as the source of many, although not most, of reported medical error-related deaths or injuries in this country.”

USA TODAY:  Medical Errors Still Claiming Many Lives, 18 May 2006

“As many as 98,000 Americans still die each year because of medical errors despite an unprecedented focus on patient safety over the past five years, according to a study released today.”………

“Medical Errors,” 2002 American Medical Association

“A JAMA article in 2000 categorized medical error deaths as follows:

• 12,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery.
  

• 7,000 deaths/year from medication errors in hospitals.
  

• 20,000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals. “

Chicago Tribune: "Nursing Mistakes Cause Thousands of Deaths, Probe Finds,” 2000

“After the 1999 report came out, President Clinton said hospitals should agree to routine reporting of serious and deadly mistakes.”

CNN.com: "AMA Votes to Support Tracking of Medical Errors,” 2000

“In order to work, the AMA maintains, any reporting system must address the causes of the errors and find ways to prevent them from happening again.”

“Patient Safety: Achieving a New Standard for Care,” 2004 Board on Health Care Services and Institute of Medicine

“A new health care delivery system is needed a system that both prevents errors from occurring, and learns from them when they do occur.”

“Medical Error and Patient Injury: Costly and Often Preventable,” 1998 Andrew H. Smith, AARP Public Policy Institute

“Consistent with other studies that have found that most medical injuries are due to errors, the Harvard Study determined that 69 percent of the medical injuries identified were due to error, and were, therefore, preventable.”