After heart disease and cancer, the third leading cause of death in the
United States is iatrogenic injury (avoidable injury or infection caused
by a healer). Research suggests that avoidable errors claim several
hundred thousand lives every year. The principal economic counterforce
to such errors, malpractice litigation, has never been a particularly
effective deterrent for a host of reasons, with fewer than 3% of
negligently injured patients (or their families) receiving any
compensation from a doctor or hospital's insurer.
Closing Death's Door brings the psychology of decision making together
with the law to explore ways to improve patient safety and reduce
iatrogenic injury, when neither the healthcare industry itself nor the
legal system has made a substantial dent in the problem. Beginning with
an unflinching introduction to the problem of patient safety, the
authors go on to define iatrogenic injury and its scope, shedding light
on the culture and structure of a healthcare industry that has failed to
effectively address the problem-and indeed that has influenced
legislation to weaken existing legal protections and impede the adoption
of potentially promising reforms. Examining the weak points in existing
systems with an eye to using law to more effectively bring about
improvement, the authors conclude by offering a set of ideas intended to
start a conversation that will lead to new legal policies that lower the
risk of harm to patients. Closing Death's Door is brought to vivid
life by the stories of
individuals and groups that have played leading roles in the nation's
struggle with iatrogenic injury, and is essential reading for medical
and legal professionals, as well as lawmakers and laypeople with an
interest in healthcare policy.
