Medical accidents happen more often than you might think. According to CNN's John Bonifield, medical errors kill more than 250,000 people in the United States each year. Due to this large number of deaths due to medical errors, hospitals and organizations are working together to reduce the high number of incidents. “Awareness of the problem has increased, but we clearly need to do more to get much closer to zero,” said Mark Chassin, chairman of the Joint Commission. Medical error statistics show that errors happen more often than they should. People often believe that these tragedies will not happen to them. Reviewing the statistics of various medical regulations and surgery reviews will help you understand the level of seriousness achieved by our hospitals. By understanding the causes of medical errors, the frequency of medical incidents will decrease. Common medical errors include:1. Treating the wrong patient2. Tools left over from surgery3. Long waits in the emergency room4. Surgery at the wrong site 5. Waking up during surgery Each year, nearly 2.5 million people go under the knife unnecessarily, often with devastating results (Guthrie 164-201). Unnecessary surgery is often performed when no further research is performed by the patient. If an individual experiences back pain, the immediate response should not be surgery unless various tests have demonstrated the need for surgery. Many Americans place a great deal of trust in their doctors to always make the right decision. We must remember that doctors are human too and are capable of making mistakes. There are never too many questions between a patient and a doctor. Unnecessary surgery doesn't just cause problems... middle of paper... Catherine. "Blind operation." Prevention 59.8 (2007): 164-201. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Network. January 28, 2014.Hettiaratchy, Shehan. “Uses of Error: Surgical Errors.” Lancet 358.9285 (2001): 887. Healthcare source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Network. January 23, 2014.JFL "Riding the Knife." Pediatrics 90.6 (1992): 949. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Network. January 15, 2014. Levin, Arthur A. “Unsafe Doctor Training Continues.” Healthfacts 31.10 (2006): 4. Alt HealthWatch. Network. January 13, 2014.PR and Sari Harrar. "LEFT BEHIND Surgical Instruments." Prevention 55.6 (2003): 163. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Network. January 15, 2014.Woolf, Steven H., et al. “A Series of Errors: The Importance of Cascade Analytics in Describing, Counting, and Preventing Medical Errors.” Annals of Family Medicine 2.4 (2004): 317-326. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Network. January 23. 2014.