Most clinical trials assessing adverse medical events (AMEs) have focused on inpatient care. Now there's a study looking at AMEs in private practice and it shows that the numbers are about the same. Most AMEs are from surgeries, diagnostic testing, and treatment errors. Every year there are about 11,000 paid malpractice suits that represent the tip of the iceberg, and this comes to more than $2 billion per year. The practice of medicine is extremely diffiicult and AMEs should be expected. Our MDs are rushed, given research articles that are misleading, and challenged by an epidemic of illness that is very complex and difficult to treat.
We need to shift today's medical paradigm from disease management to wellness and prevention. This would not only save enormous expenditures, but provide better care that is more effective.
