I Didn't Know, I Didn't Know

It is startling to realize that the third most common cause of death in the United States is medical negligence, third only to heart disease and cancer. That translates to about 250,000 deaths per year! That is a catastrophe equivalent to 12 full jumbo jet crashes per week. Serious harm is estimated to be 10-to-20-fold more common than lethal harm due to medical negligence. Contrary to common expectations, it is good and usually competent doctors who make medical errors and contribute to most defendants in claims of medical malpractice. In this book, Dr. Milunsky describes the poignant stories, recounted in litigation, about the causes and consequences of medical errors, culled from his extensive experience in medicine and as an expert witness on both sides of the bar. His focus is on how and why error(s) occurred and what lessons about anticipation, avoidance, and prevention could be learned to assure patient safety. Given his expertise, many of the cases involve possible genetic issues, a matter of importance since only 29% of physicians reported training in genetics in a 2012 survey. In this context, given the great sadness and long-lasting grief following serious errors in pregnancy care, labor and delivery, those planning childbearing would be well advised to heed the lessons from the cases described. Dr. Milunsky examines the pathogenesis of error and the many anticipatory and remedial steps that can be taken to avoid catastrophes. His discussion incorporates the categories of negligent failures in all specialties and how, once recognized, they can be prevented rather than remedied after the fact. This book is for everyone who will become a patient (that is all of us). The aim is to provide knowledge and insight that enables proactive anticipatory and preventative actions. This book is especially important for physicians in all specialties, midwives, nurses and family doctors, those in public health, federal and state legislatures, professional and medical societies, professional colleges, deans of medical schools, safety organizations, and hospital CEOs. All are collectively responsible for not taking drastic action to halt the carnage in which 250,000 patients die each year in the U.S. This is a national crisis that requires everyone's attention. The cases described vividly illustrate the nature of medical error and what can be done to remedy this long-ongoing tragic problem
About the Author: Aubrey Milunsky, MD, D.Sc., FRCP, FACMG, DCH Dr. Aubrey Milunsky is the founder of the non-profit Center for Human Genetics, now in its 35th year. He is a Co-Director with his son and is an adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine. He was Professor of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pathology at Boston University School of Medicine. Boston University named the AUBREY MILUNSKY CHAIR IN HUMAN GENETICS. He was born and educated in Johannesburg, South Africa and is triple board-certified in Pediatrics, Genetics, and Internal Medicine. He served as a medical geneticist at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital for 12 years. He is the author and/or editor of 25 books, including 7 editions of his major text, Genetic Disorders and the Fetus: Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment (2015), now co-edited with his son, Jeff, who was Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics and Genomics at Boston University School of Medicine. This book received the "Highly Commended" Award Certificate in 2010 from the British Medical Association. He has published five books for the lay public, the last being Your Genes, Your Health: A Critical Family Guide That Could Save Your Life. An earlier book (Know Your Genes) appeared in nine languages. His is the author or co-author of over 450 scientific communications. He has given hundreds of invited lectures in 35 countries and the Vatican. In 1982, he was honored by election as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of England. In that year, his alma mater, the University of the Witwatersrand School of Medicine, conferred the D.Sc. degree for his work on the prenatal detection of genetic disorders. He is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society and a Founding Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics. He has been listed repeatedly in the "Guide to America's Top Pediatricians" and listed in "Top Doctors" in Genetics in Boston. He has led the teams that first located the gene for X-linked Lymphoproliferative disease, first cloned the PAX3 gene for Waardenburg syndrome, demonstrated the 70% avoidance rate for spina bifida due to folic acid supplementation, and determined newly recognized genes for Chronic Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction. He and his coworkers have made the first prenatal diagnosis of various genetic disorders, including tuberous sclerosis.