Why US Hospitals Fail to Learn From Deadly Medical Errors
Medical errors in US hospitals kill between 250,000 and 400,000 people each year. That's the equivalent of two jumbo jets crashing daily. Yet, unlike aviation, healthcare rarely tracks or learns from these mistakes in a structured way.
Aviation safety has improved dramatically since the 1920s. The risk of dying in a plane crash has dropped from 1 in 666 to 1 in 2.4 million today. This progress comes from treating every error as a system flaw, not a personal failure. By analysing mistakes openly, the industry prevents future accidents and builds trust.
Doctors, however, often dismiss their own errors. Cognitive dissonance leads many to protect their self-esteem rather than learn from failures. Unlike aviation, no US health authority—including the CDC—officially tracks preventable medical deaths in a systematic way.
A shift in mindset could change this. Reframing mistakes as system flaws encourages curiosity and improvement. Assuming errors will repeat unless addressed prevents future harm. Treating failures as lessons also builds confidence and resilience, much like in aviation.
Adopting an aviation-style approach to mistakes could save lives in healthcare. It would also foster trust and accelerate progress in other fields. The key lies in seeing errors not as personal failures but as opportunities for systemic growth.
