American Healthcare System, Not So Bad

American Healthcare

It seems as though everybody has something to say about the quality of Healthcare in the United States these days, but we are still very blessed!

A recent and exhaustive study of third-world countries shows sub-par care, when it comes to fractures. Mohit Bhandari, M.D., professor and research chair in Orthopaedic Surgery at McMaster University in Canada says, “From the data on our initial 6,000 patients, we found that some people wait up to four days to have an open fracture treated.  In rural India, 70% of people traveling to a hospital for care arrive in something other than an emergency vehicle, even rickshaws. Within 30 days, 18% of these patients have major complications.  And amazingly, 59% of patients experienced a delay in irrigation and debridement (between 7-48 hours).  Mortality is 2% in 30 days, but we are not capturing those who already died on the street.  And while 2% may not sound shocking, imagine that many people coming into a U.S. hospital with only a fracture and being dead within 30 days.”

These statistics are quite shocking!  When negative thoughts and words are being said about our healthcare system in the U.S., remind yourself and others around you that we are extremely blessed to have what we have, in comparison to healthcare in third-world countries.

Source:  “Massive, 40,000 Patient Global Trauma Study Launched“, Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed

 

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