Health ministry of republic of moldova the university of medicine and pharmacy nicolae testemiţanu

Incidence and importance. 
Iatrogenesis is a major phenomenon, 
and a severe risk to patients. A study carried out in 1981 more than one-
third of illnesses of patients in a university hospital were iatrogenic, 
nearly one in ten were considered major, and in 2% of the patients, the 
iatrogenic disorder ended in death. Complications were most strongly 
associated with exposure to drugs and medications. In another study, the 
main factors leading to problems were inadequate patient evaluation, 
lack of monitoring and follow-up, and failure to perform necessary tests.
In the United States, figures suggest estimated deaths per year of: 

12,000 due to unnecessary surgery; 

7,000 due to medication errors in hospitals; 

20,000 due to other errors in hospitals; 

80,000 due to infections in hospitals; 

106,000 due to non-error, negative effects of drugs. 
The iatrogenesis
is not short-term reaction of the patient to the 
wrong statement or action of the doctor, and the fixed neurotic frustra-
tion having usually true reasons in the person of the patient and charac-
ter of their attitudes with the doctor. It represents some kind of the nega-
tive placebo - effect connected to certain expectations, fears and installa-
tions of the patient concerning illness, the doctor and treatments. 
With more effective and powerful treatments have come side 
effects that may be more common and harmful. There are efforts by me-
dical specialists and consumers to quantify and reduce iatrogenic side 
effects. These efforts are hampered by the natural reluctance of 
physicians (and other providers) to have their errors publicized and the 
prospect of malpractice lawsuits. Physicians rarely report iatrogenic 
events, even though most claim to have witnessed them. Efforts to make 
reporting mandatory are resisted by the medical profession; therefore, 
lack of such reporting makes it more difficult to identify and minimize 
hazards.
Despite these obstacles, the hazards of medicine are emerging in an 
increasing number of studies and reports. In USA, a 2000 presidential 
report described iatrogenic error and illness as "a national problem of 
epidemic proportions," causing tens of thousands of annual deaths. The 
report estimated the cost of lost income, disability, and health care costs 

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to be $29 billion a year. The report concluded that half of adverse medi-
cal events were preventable.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate 
that each year nearly 2 million people acquire infections while hospitali-
zed and about 90,000 die from those infections. More than 70 percent of 
hospital-acquired bacterial infections have become resistant to at least 
one of the drugs commonly used to treat them. Staphylococcus aureus 
(staph), the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, is resistant to 
95 percent of first-choice antibiotics, and about 30 percent of second-
choice antibiotics.
The CDC proposes several methods of reducing hospital-acquired 
infections. The most important include: 
more discriminating antibiotic 
use
and 
improved hygiene of hospital staff
, the main source of infec-
tions.