News / Profession

IQ -- Interesting Quotes

Dynamic Chiropractic Staff

Medical Casualties

The number of iatrogenic casualties in the U.S. each year has been estimated between 150,000 and 200,000.1 An editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association places the figure at 180,000 deaths per year.2 In his book Deadly Medicine, investigative reporter Thomas Moore states that "medical mistakes in United States hospitals kill 168,000 persons each year."1

Author Moore explains the ramifications of medical negligence:

"The Harvard study concluded that 51 percent of the deaths from adverse events occurred through medical negligence, and therefore could have been prevented. Thus, preventable deaths from medical negligence in hospitals total 86,000 a year, easily outnumbering annual deaths from auto accidents (48,000) and murder (26,000). Among hospital deaths from medical mistakes, adverse reactions to prescription drugs were the most common cause."
What percentage of the American public is aware of these figures? If this information was common knowledge, it would certainly influence health care decisions in this country.

References

  1. Moore T. Deadly Medicine. Simon & Schuster, 1995.

     

  2. Leape LL. Error in medicine. JAMA 1994;272:1851-1857.
June 1995
print pdf
Trending
News / Profession
MAHA Launches Chiropractic Hub
MAHA Launches Chiropractic Hub

Building on a historic March 2026 meeting between Make America Healthy Again and chiropractic leadership, MAHA has announced the launch of the MAHA Chiropractic Hub, “a coordinated national partnership uniting MAHA Center, MAHA Action, and the chiropractic profession, including national associations, state organizations, practitioners, educators, researchers, and patient advocates. The Chiropractic Hub will advance federal policy, expand patient access, and build broad public support for chiropractic care across America.”

 |  Digital Exclusive
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
Education & Seminars
Confronting the Threat to Chiropractic Education
Confronting the Threat to Chiropractic Education

The chiropractic profession is confronting one of the most significant federal regulatory threats it has faced in decades. A new U.S. Department of Education (ED) accountability framework – commonly referred to as the “Do No Harm” (DNH) regulation – could place many chiropractic programs at risk of losing access to federal financial aid (student loans), potentially reshaping the future of chiropractic education and workforce development across the United States.

 |  Digital Exclusive
Healthcare / Public Health
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics

Pain has become the dominant language of musculoskeletal healthcare. Numeric pain-rating scales and symptom reports are routinely used as primary indicators of clinical success. But while pain reduction is meaningful, it is an incomplete and often misleading representation of recovery. This has real consequences for patient adherence, long-term outcomes, and how conservative care is perceived within the broader healthcare system.

Christopher Proulx, DC, PhD(ABD), CSCS