What does the word "iatrogenic" mean?

Iatros means physician in Greek, and -genic, meaning induced by, is derived from the International Scientific Vocabulary. Combined, of course, they become iatrogenic, meaning physician-induced. Iatrogenic disease is obviously, then, disease which is caused by a physician.

For more details go to www.iatrogenic.org, where the American Iatrogenic Association is devoted to the study and reporting of medical errors that lead to disease and death.

Click HERE or go to http://aletheiaenagape.blogspot.com/2007/07/iatrogenic-disease.html for our previous posting.

Reports about various aspects of medical error, harm and ethical lapses, go to
http://www.iatrogenic.org/News1.html

http://www.iatrogenic.org/library/mederrorlib3.html
"Reducing one of the nation's leading causes of death and injury - medical errors - will require rigorous changes throughout the health care system, including mandatory reporting requirements, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. The report lays out a comprehensive strategy for government, industry, consumers, and health providers to reduce medical errors, and it calls on Congress to create a national patient safety center to develop new tools and systems needed to address persistent problems.

"The human cost of medical errors is high. Based on the findings of one major study, medical errors kill some 44,000 people in U.S. hospitals each year. Another study puts the number much higher, at 98,000. Even using the lower estimate, more people die from medical mistakes each year than from highway accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS."