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This blog is created to put to rest some of the rumors, myths, superstitions, and straight up health falsehoods that get floated around. Because there exists value and charm within cultural idiosyncrasies, the preferred road to correction on Myth-Understandings is a humorous one.

A more serious problem for health care recipients is medication errors. The following are some facts about med-errors from WrongDiagnosis.com:

• Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for medication-related malpractice in the USA:
  • 758 medical malpractice payments were made due to medication related malpractice in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $184,986 was the mean medical malpractice payments made due to medication related malpractice in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $100,000 was the median medical malpractice payments made due to medication related malpractice in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 10,408 medical malpractice payments were made due to medication related malpractice in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $157,945 was the mean medical malpractice payments made due to medication related malpractice in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $52,500 was the median medical malpractice payments made due to medication related malpractice in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
• Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for medication-related malpractice in the USA:
  • There was a 4.06 year mean time delay between medication related malpractice incident and payment in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • There was a 3.65 year median time delay between medication related malpractice incident and payment in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
• Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for medication-related malpractice and nursing in the USA:
  • 426 medication related malpractice payment reports were made against registered nurses in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 24 medication related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse anaesthetists in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 2 medication related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 31 medication related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse practitioners in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 0 medication related malpractice payment reports were made against advanced nurse practitioners in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
• Medical malpractice lawsuit statistics for medication-related malpractice in the USA:
  • There were 7,472 medication related primary malpractice acts or omissions in the US 1990-96 (The National Practitioner Data Bank Public Use File)
  • 26% of primary malpractice acts or omissions were medication related in the US 1990-96 (The National Practitioner Data Bank Public Use File)
  • $920,577,368 in payments were made for medication related primary malpractice acts or omissions in the US 1990-96 (The National Practitioner Data Bank Public Use File)

• 2.2 million adverse drug reactions (mostly are not medical errors) after administration of FDA-approved drugs in USA 1996 (American Medical Association)