ATLANTA — A new report is examining medical mistakes that happen to patients.
It shows that more than one in 10 patients are harmed during their medical care, and more than half of those injuries could have been prevented.
NBC News said 12 percent of these errors led to permanent disability or death.
The study, published just this week, comes from the British Medical Journal and one of its authors said it shows the need for strategies to stop avoidable errors.
The results did have an international view, but its lead author said the takeaways still apply in the United States.
A 2016 report from Johns Hopkins Medicine said more than 250,000 deaths per year in the U.S. were caused by medical errors. But it's not just deaths. The report found non-lethal harms that ranged in severity, most of them mild or moderate as opposed to severe.
Some were related to drugs or other therapies, surgical procedures, health care infections or problems from diagnoses.
But what's the solution?
Experts said there is not a silver bullet or cure-all, but it will require a mix of patient and staff engagement, consistent management and technology.
Hospitals across the country are working on ways to improve, like increased training, creating reporting hotlines and registries to compare practices and share ideas.
Regardless of those efforts, when possible patients and their families should work to become their own advocates. The more people involved in or observing care the better.
Don't be afraid to ask questions or pause treatment to make sure you are comfortable and understand.
Another tip experts recommend is to not be intimidated by busy doctors or other medical staff. Tracking even the basics, like hand-washing and protective equipment can go a long way.
Checklists are also a good idea, they can force us all to pause and really think about what's going on.
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