Medical Errors in Australia

Quick answer

Medical errors in Australia are a real and measurable problem, but the widely repeated claim that medical error is the third leading cause of death is a US estimate that has been heavily criticised and does not transfer here. The Australian evidence is more specific and more useful: medicines are where most measurable harm sits, and the single most effective thing you can do is make sure the people treating you have an accurate list of what you take.

Where the “third leading cause of death” figure came from

The claim traces to a 2016 BMJ analysis by Makary and Daniel, which estimated more than 251,000 deaths a year from medical error in the United States and ranked it behind only heart disease and cancer. It travelled fast, and it is still quoted constantly.

Why it should be treated carefully

It was not a study. It presented no new data and used no formal method for synthesising the studies it drew on.
It extrapolated a death rate from four studies covering 2000–2008 across all US hospital admissions in 2013.
It counted deaths in which error was involved, which is not the same as deaths caused by error in people who would otherwise have survived.
Editors of BMJ Quality & Safety and numerous clinicians publicly disputed the method, and later reviews put the figure substantially lower.

It is also a US figure, produced from a differently structured health system. Repeating it as though it describes Australian hospitals is not supportable, and this article does not do so.

None of that means the underlying concern is invented. It means the honest version is more specific.

What the Australian picture actually looks like

Australia measures and publishes safety data rather than leaving it to estimate. Hospitals work to the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, which set requirements in areas including medication safety, clinical communication, infection control and recognising deterioration. Performance is measured and reported.

The historical Australian reference point is the Quality in Australian Health Care Study, published in 1995, which reviewed hospital records and found a substantial proportion of admissions were associated with an adverse event, around half of them judged preventable. It is now decades old, its methods have been debated, and definitions of “adverse event” have moved on — so it is best read as the study that put patient safety on the agenda here, not as a current statistic.

Where the measurable harm actually sits: medicines

If you want a defensible Australian number, this is the one. Research reviewing Australian data from 1988 to 2021 estimated at least 250,000 hospital admissions a year are medication related, costing roughly $1.4 billion, with about two-thirds considered potentially preventable. Medicine safety is a national priority area for exactly this reason.

That harm is rarely dramatic. It is interactions, duplications, a dose changed and never recorded, a medicine nobody knew about. Which is good news, because those are addressable by information rather than heroics.

The moments when errors are most likely

Risk point	What helps
Admission to hospital	Hand over a written, current medication list rather than reciting it
Discharge	Ask what was added, stopped and changed — see the discharge checklist
Seeing a new clinician	Bring the list and your allergies with the reaction
An emergency, when you cannot speak	Something worn that points to your record
Multiple prescribers	One GP coordinating, and a medicines review

How to protect yourself, practically

Keep one current medication list. Names, doses, what each is for. Include inhalers, patches, eye drops, injections, regular over-the-counter medicines and supplements.
Record allergies with the reaction, not just the trigger — “penicillin, anaphylaxis” carries far more information than “penicillin”.
Ask three questions about any new medicine: what is it for, what are the common side effects, and how will we know it is working.
Speak up if something looks different. A tablet that has changed colour or a dose that seems wrong is worth querying — staff would far rather be asked.
Book a medicines review if you take several medicines. See how to manage your medication.
Make it findable in an emergency, when you cannot answer questions yourself.

The best protection is an accurate list, available at the moment of decision.

A MedibandPlus profile keeps your medications, allergies, conditions and contacts readable from a membership number you carry — no app, no login.

See how MedibandPlus works

Part of the Mediband family. Designed in Australia since 2004.

The case that worries people most

Most safety advice assumes you can participate — that you can answer “are you allergic to anything?”. The scenario people actually fear is the one where they cannot.

When paramedics hand a patient over at hospital, most of what they report can be observed at the scene. Three fields cannot: allergies, medications and background history. If you are unconscious and alone, those arrive blank unless you are carrying something that fills them. That is covered in what emergency responders look for.

If something does go wrong

Ask for an explanation from the treating team first. Many concerns resolve at this level.
Write down what happened while it is fresh, including dates, names and what you were told.
Request your records. You are entitled to access your own health information.
Escalate to the hospital’s patient liaison service if you are not satisfied.
Each state and territory has a health complaints body if it goes further, and the practitioner regulator handles concerns about individual clinicians.

Related reading: how to prevent medication errors, staying safe in an emergency with a chronic condition, and what to include in medical records. To make your information available when you cannot speak, create your emergency profile.

FAQs

Are medical errors the third leading cause of death?

That claim comes from a 2016 BMJ analysis of United States data and has been heavily criticised. It was not a study, presented no new data, used no formal synthesis method, and extrapolated a rate from four older studies across all 2013 US admissions. It also counted deaths where error was involved rather than deaths caused by error. It is a US figure and should not be applied to Australia.

How common are medical errors in Australia?

Australia measures and publishes safety data rather than estimating it. Hospitals work to the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, covering medication safety, clinical communication, infection control and recognising deterioration, and performance is reported. The clearest specific figure concerns medicines: at least 250,000 hospital admissions a year are medication related.

What is the Quality in Australian Health Care Study?

It is a landmark 1995 Australian study that reviewed hospital records and found a substantial proportion of admissions were associated with an adverse event, around half judged preventable. It is now decades old, its methods have been debated, and definitions have changed since, so it is best understood as the study that put patient safety on the agenda in Australia rather than as a current statistic.

What is the single most effective way to protect myself?

Keep one accurate, current medication list and make sure it reaches whoever is treating you. Most measurable harm in Australia is medication related, and about two-thirds of medication-related admissions are considered potentially preventable. Include doses, what each medicine is for, and allergies with the reaction that occurred.

When are medication errors most likely to happen?

At transitions: being admitted to hospital, being discharged, seeing a new clinician, having several prescribers, and in an emergency when you cannot speak for yourself. Each is helped by the same thing, which is a written current list handed over rather than a history recited from memory.

What should I ask about a new medicine?

What is it for, what are the common side effects, and how will we know it is working. It is also reasonable to ask how long you should take it and what to do if you miss a dose. If a tablet looks different from what you expect or a dose seems wrong, say so — staff would much rather be asked than have it go unmentioned.

What can I do if I think an error has occurred?

Ask the treating team for an explanation first, since many concerns resolve there. Write down what happened while it is fresh, including dates and names, and request access to your own health records. If you are not satisfied, escalate to the hospital's patient liaison service. Each state and territory also has a health complaints body, and the practitioner regulator handles concerns about individual clinicians.

Sources

ACSQHC — National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards — the standards Australian hospitals work to.
ACSQHC — Medication safety — medication-related harm as a national priority.
ACSQHC — Indicators, measurement and reporting — how safety performance is measured in Australia.
McGill Office for Science and Society — Medical error is not the third leading cause of death — a plain-language account of the methodological criticism.
healthdirect — Medicines — using medicines safely and keeping a list.

Disclaimer: This article is general information about patient safety, not medical or legal advice. It does not assess any individual episode of care. Concerns about your own treatment belong with your treating team, your GP, or the relevant state or territory health complaints body. In an emergency, always call Triple Zero (000). For non-urgent health advice, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (NURSE-ON-CALL 1300 60 60 24 in Victoria, 13 HEALTH 13 43 25 84 in Queensland).