1 in 20 patients exposed to preventable harm in health care

Roughly 1 in 20 patients experience health care harm that's preventable — and some of those experiences can lead to death or long-term disability, according to a new analysis published in the BMJ. Researchers looked at data from 70 observational studies that included more than 337,000 patients, most of whom were adults and lived in developed countries. Nearly a quarter of the cases of preventable medical harm were related to medication or other treatments. The study also showed preventable harm is more common in ICUs and surgical units. In a related editorial, health experts say the research "serves as a reminder of the extent to which medical harm is prevalent across health systems, and, importantly, draws attention to how much is potentially preventable."