Medical Errors Are Third-leading Cause Of Death In The US

[kiran]

Medical errors — including incorrect medications, surgical mishaps, and wrong diagnoses — kill more than 250,000 Americans every year, according to a new study, making them the third-leading cause of death in the country.
...

“There’s vast underrecognition, underpreparation, and underfunding of the problem of medical care gone awry, even though it has a significant impact on public health,” said Dr. Martin Makary, professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and lead author on the paper.

Medical errors are third-leading cause of death in the US
Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US | The BMJ
A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated w... : Journal of Patient Safety

 

[DaveFoster]

True, but lack of medical attempts would be #1.

 

[Blossom]

True, but lack of medical attempts would be #1.

I think it might be a little more complicated than that. Ivan Illich (mentioned by Peat) and Nortin Hadler M. D. give a different perspective and discuss some of the shortcomings of medicine. They both write about not seeking/undergoing medical treatment as sometimes the preferred option. Whether one agrees with them or not they both make some very valid and interesting points.
"...All that can be said for medical popularity is that until there is a practicable alternative to blind trust in the doctor, the truth about the doctor is so terrible that we dare not face it." George Bernard Shaw