USA Today reported that, according to a study "of nearly 50,000 children and adults," published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, "about 10 percent of Americans -- or 27 million people -- were taking antidepressants in 2005, the last year for which data were available at the time the study was written. That's about twice the number in 1996." Notably, "the majority weren't being treated for depression. Half of those taking antidepressants used them for back pain, nerve pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties, or other problems," the study found.

The Albany (NY) Times Union editorialized, "It was a decade ago that a federal government report, titled 'To Err Is Human,' said the number of deaths caused by medical errors was unacceptably high."  Now, "there are indications that this epidemic of haphazard care has gotten worse -- to the point where 'Dead by Mistake,' an investigation by the Hearst newspapers and television stations, concludes that the casualty toll left by preventable medical injuries is approaching 200,000 a year." The federal government and many states have "resisted mandatory reporting of medical errors" but The Times Union asks, "Let's hear why such a disclosure law is a bad idea." 

 

In a column in the Houston Chronicle, Loren Steffy wrote, "As the health care debate rages, preventable deaths from errors are one problem that can be fixed regardless of how the system is reformed or how it's funded." Right now, "hospitals can make fatal mistakes, yet they don't have to let the public know about them." In Texas, "tort reform has essentially denied recourse to many whose loved ones have died or been harmed because of medical errors." For far too long, "doctors have buried their mistakes, both literally and bureaucratically. It's time they publish them as well."

The Houston Chronicle editorialized last month that a special investigative series by Hearst newspapers demonstrated that "preventable medical injuries kill an estimated 200,000 Americans" annually. The Chronicle suggests that in order to prevent these deaths "on a national level, we need to know exactly what they are and where they occur. Death certificates often fail to mention medical error as a contributing cause of a patient's death." The Chronicle urged consumers to "demand that the $19 billion earmarked for electronic medical records buy us better public accounting of accidents." At the same time, it suggests consumers who have a choice among hospitals for their next surgical procedure should ask: "What's the hospital's rate of errors and infections?" The Chronicle suggests that consumers "report medical errors that affect your family to the state health department and to the Joint Commission, the national accreditation agency for hospitals."

"For the millions of Americans giving up their land lines in favor of cellphones, dialing 911 may no longer mean a quick response.  It can lead to misrouted calls, delayed information about the location of the caller and, most important, a slower emergency response." Read more. 

The AP reported, "A family of a 16-year-old Ohio girl who died after brain surgery has filed a lawsuit alleging a neurosurgeon and a clinic altered evidence to avoid a wrongful death claim." The family of Jessica Siegel has accused Dr. Andrew Ringer and the Mayfield Clinic & Spine Institute "of botching the surgery and trying to cover it up by excluding the head from an autopsy."

NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon says that "while NASCAR and [its] teams have done a good job working on safety equipment to help prevent head, neck and upper-body injuries, a new focus on injuries to drivers' midsections might be needed."  Gordon re-injured his back in a hard crash at Watkins Glen last month.  Article here.

Footwear maker Crocs, Inc. has recently settled a number of design defect lawsuits "rather than contest allegations that its popular foam rubber clogs are unsafe for children to wear on moving escalators. Read more.

U.S. life expectancy now stands at nearly 78 years, a new high.
"The increase is due mainly to falling death rates in almost all the leading causes of death."  But the U.S. still falls behind about 30 other countries in estimated life span. Japan has the longest life expectancy of 83 years for children born in 2007.  More here.