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Charles M. Kilo, MD, MPH; Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH

JAMA. 2009;302(1):89-91.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

While various forms of harm resulting from health care are well known, the full nature of such harm and the magnitude of health care's aggregate adverse health effects deserve more exploration. On balance, the data remain imprecise, and the benefits that US health care currently deliver may not outweigh the aggregate health harm it imparts. In this Commentary, we discuss potential harms from health care, suggest a taxonomy for health care harm, and suggest that investigators start addressing this issue.

This concern is raised with great respect for health care professionals. To be sure, ill intent is rare, and many health services are effective. Nonetheless, it is time to address the possibility of net health harm by elucidating more fully aggregate health benefits and harms of current health care. This information should help clinicians, health care leaders, policy experts, and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

A Taxonomy of Health Harm

Physical Harm

Emotional Harm

Author Affiliations: The Trust for Healthcare Excellence and GreenField Health, Portland, Oregon (Dr Kilo); and Group Health Center for Health Studies, Seattle, Washington (Dr Larson).

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