Final answer:
The question asks about deaths due to preventable medical errors in the US, which is not specified in the provided references. The issue is a critical part of the public health discussion that includes other significant causes of mortality such as vehicle accidents and drug overdoses. Accurate data on preventable medical errors is complex and varies by source.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to the significant number of deaths caused by preventable medical errors in the United States. However, the exact figure is not provided within any of the reference materials.
Comprehensive and up-to-date data on this topic varies, but it has been acknowledged as a serious public health concern. This issue is alongside other notable mortality factors such as accidental deaths from motor vehicle crashes, drug overdoses, and workplace homicides, which collectively affect thousands of Americans every year.
For example, while in 1999 car crashes caused twice as many accidental deaths as drug overdoses, by 2014 drug overdose deaths, largely from heroin and opioids, surpassed those from auto accidents. Moreover, the disparity in mortality rates can be observed in other areas such as healthcare, where infant mortality and pregnancy-related deaths highlight significant differences between developing and developed nations, as well as within racial and ethnic groups of a single nation.
It is important to note that the scope of preventable medical errors extends beyond mortality rates, encompassing a wide range of outcomes that impact patient safety and health quality.