Analysis of Medication-Related Malpractice Claims

Abstract

THE RECENT Institute of Medicine report¹ on medical errors has led to an increased interest in the quality of health care. This report relied heavily on the Harvard Medical Practice Study,² which found that adverse events occurred in 3.7% of hospitalized patients, with more than half attributable to errors (and, therefore, being preventable), including more than a quarter due to negligent care. Medication-related complications were the most common type of adverse event (19%).³