International Survey: U.S. High on Medical Errors
<p>One-third of U.S. patients with health problems taking part in a new Commonwealth Fund international survey report experiencing medical, medication, or test errors, the highest proportion among the six countries surveyed.<br><bR>The findings were released today (November 3, 2005) at the Commonwealth Fund 2005 International Symposium on Health Care Policy in Washington, DC, and published in a <em>Health Affairs</em> Web Exclusive, <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=19298&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D313012%26%23doc313012">Taking the Pulse of Health Care Systems: Experiences of Patients with Health Problems in Six Countries.</a><br><Br>The survey, assessing health care access, safety, and care coordination in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S., found no one nation best or worst overall on the measures studied. But the U.S. stood out for high error rates, inefficient care coordination, and high out-of-pocket costs that serve as barriers to access.<br><Br>For more Fund publications about international health policy, including a set of charts associated with the survey findings, visit our <a href=" http://www.commonwealthfund.org/General/General_show.htm?doc_id=312882"…; International Health Policy Resources</a> page, which will also feature links to webcasts of several symposium sessions.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2005/nov/international-survey--u-s--high-on-medical-errors