A well-known study by Harvard Medical School has determined that more than half of all injuries caused by medical management (in other words, not caused by the initial injury or illness of the patient) can be prevented, and another quarter of these accidents are caused by negligence,
A report of May 25, 2004, published by the Canadian Medical Association, entitled “Study of Canadian side effects: incidence of adverse events in hospital patients in Canada” confirmed the results of similar studies in the United States, Australia, Great Britain, Denmark and New Zealand.
Canadian research has completed:
o As many as 24,000 patients die each year due to “adverse events” (doctors enter words for medical error).
o 87,500 patients annually participating in Canadian acute-care hospitals experience an adverse event.
o 1 out of 13 adult patients admitted to a Canadian hospital face an adverse event.
o 1 out of 19 adults can potentially get the wrong medicine or the wrong dose of medicine.
o 37% of side effects are severely preventable.
o 24% of preventable side effects are associated with a drug error.
A report by the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) indicates that nearly a quarter of adult Canadians (5.2 million people) reported that they or their family members experienced a “preventable adverse event” (medical error).
Canadian medical negligence claims the difference than in the US?
In the world; Yes.
Many people read about large jury personal injuries in the United States. Sometimes the awards of the American jury seem disproportionate to injury.
In Canada, court decisions are much lower than remuneration for similar injuries from courts in the United States. Cases that may be successful in the United States are simply not economically viable in Canada.
For example, Nova Scotia also has some of the most conservative (lowest) awards in Canada for compensation for personal injury claims.
CMPA role:
In Canada, most doctors are protected by a single organization, the Canadian Medical Protection Association (CMPA).
According to a recent annual report, the CMPA has two points nine (2.9) billion dollars in assets (money in the bank). CMPA can use this money to hire the best experts and lawyers who can buy money.
Many victims of serious medical errors cannot work or have huge expenses for capital repairs or medical care.
Against such enormous financial chances, Canadian victims of medical negligence face an almost insurmountable problem for justice and fair compensation for their injuries.
Remember the Canadian Medical Association Journal of Research, which found that more than 87,000 patients in Canada suffer from side effects, and up to 24,000 people die every year due to medical errors? These are more than 100,000 potential malpractice claims in Canada every year!
But in the period from 2002 to 2006, the CMPA reports only 5,246 lawsuits against doctors in Canada: a total of about 1,000 claims per year.
In other words, out of 100,000 potential claims, 99% of potential victims of medical negligence did not even file a lawsuit!
CMPA reports on advances in claims against physicians. More than 3,800 of the 5,000 claims were dismissed or abandoned because the victim or his or her family left or finished the money or died before the trial.
Some scary statistics:
o CMPA resolved only 229 lawsuits from the court (usually after several years of court proceedings and immediately before the court proceedings).
o Out of 577 cases that only 121 were tried, the Claimant was rejected in the dictates of the victim. In other words, only 20% (20%) of the medical malpractice plaintiffs actually won the trial.
o For the few victims who won in court, the median reward for damage was only $ 95,500.
o In 2006, CMPA spent $ 72 million in litigation costs to protect physicians across Canada.
o Of the more than 5,000 lawsuits filed against doctors, only two percent (2%) ruled in court decisions for the victim.
In other words, 98% of Canadian medical malpractice victims never get a penny in the form of compensation!
The odds against victims of medical malpractice are almost staggering. If you believe that you or a family member has suffered injury or loss as a result of medical negligence, it is important to get the right advice. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can tell you if you have potential claims and can advise you on what you need to prove that you have the best chance of winning your case.
