Tokyo, September 25: The number of medical accidents in Japan hit a record high 1,440 last year mainly due to misjudgment and neglect of confirmation, according to a survey results released Friday.
The survey results were released by a medical foundation showing 2008 figure as the highest since the Japan Council for Quality Health Care began compiling data in 2005, was up 174 from the previous year.
But the ratio of serious accidents fell, the body said.
The total number of accidents resulting in death were 115, down 27, and that of accidents with high damage risk came to 144, down 19. The ratio of these two categories to overall accidents fell 6.1 percentage points to 18.0 per cent.
Misjudgement and neglect of confirmation accounted for 39.8 percent of the overall reasons for medical accidents.
The number of cases that barely avoided accidents came to a record high 223,981, up 14,765, including 46,952 cases related to drug prescription and use.
The survey covered about 270 hospitals across Japan that are required to report medical accidents to the body under medical law. The body is under jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
–Agencies