In 1999, the US Institute of Medicine published a report concerning dangers to all patients in hospitals. From the report:
At least 44,000 people, and perhaps as many as 98,000 people, die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors that could have been prevented, according to estimates from two major studies.
Online only version of full report is here.
Brief version is here.
From an SRV perspective, this report highlighted the heightened vulnerability of any hospital patient, and SRV would caution of the extreme heightened vulnerability of patients who were also societally devalued, due to impairment for example.
Based on a survey of four new studies, this 2013 report published in the Journal of Patient Safety estimates a much higher number of patient deaths. From the 2013 report:
Yet, the action and progress on patient safety is frustratingly slow; however, one must hope that the present, evidence-based estimate of 400,000+ deaths per year will foster an outcry for overdue changes and increased vigilance in medical care to address the problem of harm to patients who come to a hospital seeking only to be healed.
I do not have the background to competently comment on the accuracy of the studies or research methods used. Regardless, this report–in combination with the SRV concept of heightened vulnerability and the wound of deathmaking–speaks loudly and clearly to the ongoing need for vigilance any time a significantly societally devalued person receives hospital care.
(For more information, check out the SRVIP website for information on workshops relevant to the topic of protecting people in the hospital.)
Marc Tumeinski