More than one out of every five people taking part in a health care quality survey said that they or a family member experienced a mistake in a doctor's office or hospital or were given the wrong medication or dose. About half (51%) of those who experienced an error reported it as serious. The survey was conducted by Commonwealth Fund.

Speaking at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' (AAOS) Orthopaedics Update 2002 web conference, James H. Herndon, M.D., AAOS first vice president and professor of orthopaedic surgery at Harvard Medical School and chairman, department of orthopaedic surgery at Massachusetts General and Brigham Women's Hospital in Boston, stated: "As the analysis from the Commonwealth Survey says - the American health care system is unparalleled in technological sophistication and medical advancements, yet we fall far short of the ideal when it comes to the safety and efficacy of our health care services."

Falling "short of the ideal" may be a considerable understatement.

According to the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) widely circulated 1999 report "To Err is Human," up to 98,000 deaths occur each year as the result of medical errors - more than are caused by motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer and AIDS combined. The IOM report estimates that these medical errors cost the United States approximately $29 billion each year. The majority of medical errors result from equipment failures, misread lab reports, mismatching of blood during transfusions, misread prescriptions and wrong-site surgery.

Not surprisingly, the surgeon tried to place much of the blame on the patient. "While it's imperative that reformative safety measures take place on all levels including health care leaders, hospital systems, insurers, doctors and health care workers, there are things that patients can do to prevent themselves from becoming victims of medical error," said Dr. Hernon.