Iatrogenic Deaths
What is the third leading cause of death in the developed world? The answer is “iatrogenic” deaths – those caused by medical errors, adverse drug reactions or hospital-acquired infections. For all modern medicine’s ability to alleviate suffering and prevent premature deaths, it also causes plenty of both. Many medical interventions turn out to have unintended and negative consequences that often emerge as a result of research into better treatments. None of this suggests that treatments such as chemotherapy, painkillers or antibiotics do more harm than good overall. And the research that reveals their effects will help us to develop still more effective treatments. But it does highlight the need to think broadly about iatrogenic deaths.