{"id":43393,"date":"2018-11-09T13:02:46","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T12:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=43393"},"modified":"2018-11-14T16:42:01","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T15:42:01","slug":"benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/","title":{"rendered":"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Progress in patient safety can only come from the slow work of science and the honesty of our limitations<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"During <\/span>To Err is Human<\/span><\/i>, a <\/span>new documentary<\/span><\/a> about medical errors currently on tour throughout the United States, former Medicare chief Don Berwick claims that ending medical error is simply \u201ca question of will.\u201d This assured premise is echoed throughout the film by turns urgent and optimistic. Another expert makes the astonishing claim that \u201cwe can drive [medical errors] to zero.\u201d Impressive, given the outsized estimates of harm in the film, which suggests up to 440,000 people die from medical error in the US each year, making it the third leading cause of death. But is the right mindset really all we need to prevent medical errors? <\/span><\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve progressed in my medical training, I\u2019ve wondered why I\u2019ve grown less comfortable with the patient safety movement. Watching <\/span>To Err is Human<\/span><\/i>, the sentiment crystalized: instead of being engaged scientifically or humanely as a physician, \u201csafety\u201d often feels like a sales pitch. No doctor would passively accept the words of a pharmaceutical industry representative describing a new drug that\u2019s perfectly effective, without side effects, and eminently affordable. Yet doctors today are expected to absorb the claims of \u201cpatient safety experts\u201d or be branded reckless cowboys.<\/span><\/p>\n

The film interviews some of the movement\u2019s biggest advocates: Don Berwick, Ashish Jha, Bob Wachter, and Lucian Leape. These are charming, erudite spokespeople. The film alternates between these experts and the Sheridans, a family of victims turned activists who have been irrevocably harmed by medical errors in their son Cal and late husband Patrick. Despite lavish visual and auditory drama, the Sheridans\u2019 truth is the film\u2019s most convincing device, a rare human moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The expert portions of the film couldn\u2019t be less humane. They tell us that to end the epidemic of iatrogenic harm, simply transfer the lessons learned from the more technical airline and nuclear power industries. Specific solutions turn out to be few and hard to pin down. Checklists and central line protocols are trotted out, in this film and elsewhere. It\u2019s hard to believe checklists are a penicillin for the ailing healthcare system\u2014a single shot to wipe out all its disease. The remainder of the film\u2019s recommendations fall back on a vague \u201cculture of patient safety\u201d, a reluctant recognition that many of medicine\u2019s problems are chronic and entrenched.<\/span><\/p>\n

What exactly does a \u201cculture of patient safety\u201d mean? <\/span>To Err is Human<\/span><\/i> first suggests we need an appreciation of the scale of problem, an acceptance of an epidemic \u201chiding in plain sight.\u201d Second, we must shift away from the habit of blame to address systemic deficiencies. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Medical errors are undoubtedly real and all too common, but it\u2019s clear marketing takes precedence over reality when it comes to measuring them. The idea that 440,000 people in the US die from preventable medical error\u2014meaning more than half of all hospital deaths or as many people as die from tobacco\u2014is both absurd on its face and has been resoundingly debunked in the literature. [1,2] Yet these statistics frame the documentary, beginning with an escalating death counter ticking ominously upward and closing with scores of metaphorical airplanes crashing, a favorite rhetorical tactic despite the fact that you can cancel a risky flight, but rarely a patient\u2019s hospital admission. <\/span><\/p>\n

The patient safety establishment\u2019s core message is sound: many errors in medicine derive from flaws in the system rather than in individuals, and thus blame should be supplanted by higher-order change. Yet at least in America it can leave doctors in just one more untenable situation. As we work under heavy legal and regulatory scrutiny, the threat of a malpractice lawsuit (or worse as shown by the\u00a0<\/span>Bawa-Garba case in the UK<\/span><\/a>) is ever present. <\/span><\/p>\n

The film and director counter by suggesting that doctors who admit mistakes and speak honestly face fewer lawsuits. Even if this were true\u2014and there is evidence <\/span>showing the opposite<\/span><\/a>\u2014it is little consolation as it applies to populations, not individuals. This recommendation seems like another tradeoff-free solution from the patient safety movement. Malpractice claims can feel like an existential threat to a physician, so to truly remove a culture of blame legal reforms will be needed first. Instead, doctors rather than lawyers are asked to change. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, <\/span>To Err is Human<\/span><\/i> feels like superficial marketing for established advocates in the patient safety movement, each with solutions to sell us. There is real science going on in healthcare safety and quality, but like all science it is incremental, beset by detours and failures.[3] <\/span><\/p>\n

The film refuses to acknowledge such realities. I didn\u2019t once hear the words \u201ctradeoff\u201d, \u201cdownside\u201d, or \u201cunintended consequences.\u201d I asked director Mike Eisenberg what tradeoffs might occur if the solutions that patient safety advocates propose take effect. To his credit, he described electronic medical records as an example of the way new technologies and \u201csolutions\u201d can increase complexity, paradoxically introducing error. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of all the frightening images presented that evening\u2014crashing planes raining from the sky, acres of graveyards eclipsing Arlington cemetery\u2014Eisenberg\u2019s extemporaneous allusion to electronic medical records was the most indelible. I once called these software systems \u201cbrutalist medicine\u201d for how poorly they integrate into physician culture, creating inhumane\u2014even dangerous\u2014complexity in their drive toward compliance. [4] A checklist may be simple; dozens of checklists are anything but. To paraphrase George Orwell, \u201cpatient safety\u201d sometimes means the boot of an electronic medical record or automated alarm stamping on a doctor\u2019s face forever. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We do not want to be defeated before we even begin. Remarkable progress in safety can be made through systemic and cultural change. Like most of medicine, however, progress doesn\u2019t arise from a crusade or a sales pitch but from the slow work of science and the honesty of our limitations. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Benjamin Mazer<\/strong> is a resident in the pathology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. His views are his own, and don\u2019t represent those of his employer. Twitter\u00a0@BenMazer<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Competing interests<\/strong>: None declared.<\/em><\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1] Shojania KG, Dixon-Woods M. Estimating deaths due to medical error: the ongoing controversy and why it matters. BMJ Qual Saf. 2017 May 1;26(5):423-8.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2] <\/span>Gianoli GJ. Medical Error Epidemic Hysteria. The American journal of medicine. 2016 Dec 1;129(12):1239-40.<\/span><\/p>\n

[3] Dixon-Woods M, Martin GP. Does quality improvement improve quality? Future Hospital Journal. 2016 Oct 1;3(3):191-4.<\/span><\/p>\n

[4]<\/span> Mazer B. Brutalist medicine: a reflection on the architecture of healthcare. BMJ. 2017 Dec 11;359:j5676.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Progress in patient safety can only come from the slow work of science and the honesty of our limitations […]<\/p>\n

More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1357],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-health-care"],"yoast_head":"\nBenjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix? - The BMJ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix? - The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Progress in patient safety can only come from the slow work of science and the honesty of our limitations [...]More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-11-09T12:02:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-11-14T15:42:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/overdiagnosis.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"BMJ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BMJ\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"BMJ\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe\"},\"headline\":\"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-09T12:02:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-14T15:42:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1086,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/overdiagnosis.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"US healthcare\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/\",\"name\":\"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix? - The BMJ\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/overdiagnosis.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-09T12:02:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-14T15:42:01+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/overdiagnosis.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/overdiagnosis.jpg\",\"width\":540,\"height\":350},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/09\\\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"description\":\"Helping doctors make better decisions.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"width\":852,\"height\":568,\"caption\":\"The BMJ\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bmjdotcom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/bmj_latest\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe\",\"name\":\"BMJ\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"BMJ\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix? - The BMJ","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix? - The BMJ","og_description":"Progress in patient safety can only come from the slow work of science and the honesty of our limitations [...]More...","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/","og_site_name":"The BMJ","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","article_published_time":"2018-11-09T12:02:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-11-14T15:42:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":540,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/overdiagnosis.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"BMJ","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bmj_latest","twitter_site":"@bmj_latest","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"BMJ","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/"},"author":{"name":"BMJ","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe"},"headline":"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix?","datePublished":"2018-11-09T12:02:46+00:00","dateModified":"2018-11-14T15:42:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/"},"wordCount":1086,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/overdiagnosis.jpg","articleSection":["US healthcare"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/","name":"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix? - The BMJ","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/overdiagnosis.jpg","datePublished":"2018-11-09T12:02:46+00:00","dateModified":"2018-11-14T15:42:01+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/overdiagnosis.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/overdiagnosis.jpg","width":540,"height":350},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/09\/benjamin-mazer-are-medical-errors-a-huge-problem-thats-simple-to-fix\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Benjamin Mazer: Are medical errors a huge problem that\u2019s simple to fix?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","name":"The BMJ","description":"Helping doctors make better decisions.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization","name":"The BMJ","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","width":852,"height":568,"caption":"The BMJ"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/bmj_latest"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe","name":"BMJ","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"BMJ"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}