New study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine says 35 percent of physicians and 42 percent of the general public say that they had experienced a medical error themselves, or had one affect a family member. The study is the first effort to quantify the public�s experience with medical mistakes as well as its opinions about how to prevent them.

Two years ago the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that at least 44,000 Americans � and possibly as many as 98,000 � people die as a result each year from preventable errors.

Experts believe many, if not most, errors could be prevented through systematic policies or technical innovations designed to catch errors before harm occurs.

(via Washington Post)