Medical errors thought to be the third leading cause of death in the US

FROM incorrect medications to surgery slip-ups, medical errors are thought to be the third most common cause of death in the US.

In an ironic turn of events, a visit to the doctors could be bad for your health. Picture: iStock.

FORGET getting hit by a bus or attacked on the street — a leading (and surprising) cause of death, hits a lot closer to home.

According to a new analysis published in the British Medical Journal this week, more than 250,000 Americans die every year due to medical errors.

Yep. Incorrect medications, mistaken diagnoses and clinical blunders are all factors that contribute to the third leading cause of death in the US. Medical errors are ranked only after heart disease and cancer.

And thus far nobody knows how often these mistakes occur — meaning nobody can be held accountable. The number of deaths caused by medical mistakes isn’t really tracked, which has caused years of contention among researchers regarding the occurrence.

So why is it so poorly monitored? One reason may be deaths in the US are classified based on insurance billing codes and medical errors aren’t considered one of these codes. The true cause of death therefore doesn’t appear on death certificates, making definite numbers hard to track.

Researchers are hoping to put this issue to rest by raising awareness.