how patient safety has changed after iom report “to err is human”

by Maudie Nicolas 8 min read

15 Years after To Err Is Human: The Status of Patient …

16 hours ago We have examined the impact of the IOM report “To Err Is Human” on the health sciences literature and found a substantial increase in the number of patient safety publications and research awards following the release of the report. Increased rates of publication were observed for all types of patient safety articles. >> Go To The Portal


The Institute of Medicine’s To Err Is Human, published in 1999, represented a watershed moment for the US health care system. The report dramatically raised the profile of patient safety and stimulated dedicated research funding to this essential aspect of patient care.

We have examined the impact of the IOM report “To Err Is Human” on the health sciences literature and found a substantial increase in the number of patient safety publications and research awards following the release of the report. Increased rates of publication were observed for all types of patient safety articles.

Full Answer

Did the IOM’s “To Err is human” report improve health care?

Abstract Background: The “ To Err is Human ” report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1999 called for a national effort to make health care safer. Although the report has been widely credited with spawning efforts to study and improve safety in health care, there has been limited objective assessment of its impact.

How many patient safety articles are published after the IOM report?

The rate of patient safety publications increased from 59 to 164 articles per 100 000 MEDLINE publications (p<0.001) following the release of the IOM report. Increased rates of publication were observed for all types of patient safety articles.

Does the “To Err is human” report improve patient safety?

Publication of the report “To Err is Human” was associated with an increased number of patient safety publications and research awards. The report appears to have stimulated research and discussion about patient safety issues, but whether this will translate into safer patient care remains unknown.

Does the IOM report affect the rate of publication of research?

Before publication of the IOM report there was a 3% per quarter upward trend (p<0.001) in the rate at which reports of original research were being published. The release of the IOM report coincided with a fall of 21% in the rate of publication of reports of original research (p = 0.036).

Has patient safety improved since To Err is Human?

By heeding the report's advice, the healthcare industry has seen vast improvements, with patient safety metrics improving significantly over the past 20 years.

What did the IOM release after To Err is Human?

Fifteen years after the release of the IOM's landmark report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, two new reports highlight the progress we've made. They also argue that we still have far to go to make care as safe as it should be for all patients.

What did the IOM report To Err is Human find as contributors to medical errors?

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released their landmark report, To Err Is Human, in 1999 and reported that as many as 98,000 people die in hospitals every year as a result of preventable medical errors.

What is the overall message that was stated by the Institute of Medicine report To Err is Human?

To Err Is Human asserts that the problem is not bad people in health care--it is that good people are working in bad systems that need to be made safer. Comprehensive and straightforward, this book offers a clear prescription for raising the level of patient safety in American health care.

How do the Institute of Medicine reports influence patient safety?

The IOM report called for a 50% reduction in medical errors over 5 years. Its goal was to break the cycle of inaction regarding medical errors by advocating a comprehensive approach to improving patient safety. This IOM report received tremendous attention from both the public and the healthcare industry.

What has been the historical importance of the Institute of Medicine IOM reports since 1999?

What has been the historical importance of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports since 1999? 1. They stimulated the development of strategies that will improve quality of care.

Which quality issues were found in the Institute of Medicine IOM study To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System?

Which quality issues were found in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) study, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System? Many errors are preventable. Data from the IOM study concluded that up to 98,000 patients die each year from preventable medical errors.

What is patient safety in healthcare?

What is Patient Safety? Patient Safety is a health care discipline that emerged with the evolving complexity in health care systems and the resulting rise of patient harm in health care facilities. It aims to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harm that occur to patients during provision of health care.

What does the saying to err is human to forgive divine mean?

To err is human, to forgive divine often praises those who forgive others under difficult circumstances, or it urges forgiveness from people holding onto their anger. Bad and unacceptable things happen in life.

What is the IOM report?

The Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, is a thorough examination of how nurses' roles, responsibilities and education should change to meet the needs of an aging, increasingly diverse population and to respond to a complex, evolving health care system.

What does it mean To Err is Human?

Definition of to err is human formal. : it is normal for people to make mistakes.

Why do you think To Err is Human?

That means that excusing others for their faults makes us a little better than just being human. The act is god-like. This popular saying is an old one. It comes from the 18th century English poet Alexander Pope.

When was the report "To Err is Human" published?

Background: The “ To Err is Human ” report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1999 called for a national effort to make health care safer. Although the report has been widely credited with spawning efforts to study and improve safety in health care, there has been limited objective assessment of its impact. We evaluated the effects of the IOM report on patient safety publications and research awards.

What is the conclusion of the report "To Err is Human"?

Conclusions: Publication of the report “ To Err is Human ” was associated with an increased number of patient safety publications and research awards. The report appears to have stimulated research and discussion about patient safety issues, but whether this will translate into safer patient care remains unknown.

Why is "to error is human" important?

“ To Err is Human ” has provided a window of opportunity for improving patient safety in health care.

Is there a need for continued patient safety research support?

Rather, there is a need for continued patient safety research support and increased healthcare quality research support which has recently stalled . Otherwise, there is a risk that patient safety will be dropped as a priority due to a perceived lack of progress, and the impact of “ To Err is Human ” will be short lived.

When was the IOM report released?

Setting a Direction. In early 2000, just 60 days after the IOM report was published, the Federal Government, through an AHRQ-led task force, released Doing What Counts for Patient Safety: Federal Actions to Reduce Medical Errors and Their Impact.

What is AHRQ Advances in Patient Safety?

AHRQ released Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation as a way to share the progress occurring in the first half of the decade. The four-volume publication, comprising 140 articles, sought to bridge the gap between the research underway and its integration into practice. The compendium covered a wide range of research paradigms, clinical settings, patient populations, reporting systems, measurement and taxonomy issues, tools and technology, implementation challenges, safety culture, and organizational considerations. The volumes helped fuel efforts to improve patient safety and provided a measure of progress. More importantly, they also provided a sense of remaining challenges.

What is the AHRQ tool?

To help organizations understand and quantify patient safety events and areas of vulnerability in their institutions, AHRQ developed a useful measuring and monitoring tool: the Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs). The tool includes 20 hospital-level and 7 regional measures. By using hospital administrative data, PSIs can identify pressure ulcers, postoperative pulmonary emboli, accidental punctures and lacerations, and many other departures from safe care that are preventable. AHRQ continues to make the PSIs available as a free software program and uses PSIs regularly in its annual National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report.

What is AHRQ WebM&M?

AHRQ WebM&M serves as a free, online journal and forum for the examination of a variety of patient safety and quality issues. It features analysis of medical error cases by recognized experts and provides interactive learning modules for health care professionals, clinicians, administrators, patient safety officers, and trainees. Since its launch, AHRQ WebM&M has grown in popularity and continues to be one of AHRQ's most frequently visited Web sites.

What is the most common complication of hospital care?

Data indicate that health care-associated infections (HAIs) are the most common serious complication of hospital care, striking nearly 2 million U.S. hospital patients, resulting in an estimated 99,000 deaths, and costing the health care system up to $20 billion each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common HAI is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). With some MRSA-related projects already underway, Congress directed AHRQ to work with its Federal partners at the CDC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to develop an action plan to identify and help reduce the spread of MRSA and related HAIs. The action plan is designed to:

What is the Patient Safety and Quality Handbook?

Given the central role that nurses serve in patient care and the likelihood that they are among the first health care professionals to recognize errors and prevent harm to patients, the Agency teamed with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop and distribute a handbook for nurses entitled Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Even though working conditions may be less than optimal and the needs of patients are quite diverse, the opportunities for patient safety and quality improvement are clearly addressed. More than 22,000 copies of the three-volume handbook have been distributed to nursing schools and clinicians in the field.

What is AHRQ in healthcare?

Given that consumers can be an important source of information for understanding patient safety events and health care system failures, AHRQ, in another patient safety event reporting project, is developing specifications for the future development of consumer reporting systems.

What is the Joint Commission's role in preventing medical errors?

Just a few years after To Err Is Human, the Joint Commission leveraged its role as an accrediting body to identify required steps for preventing medical errors. The National Patient Safety Goals program released its first list of standards in 2003 and continues to update them annually.

How many patients have HAI?

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) — surgical site infections, catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBIs), and more — are common and dangerous. In fact, approximately 1 in 31 hospital patients has an HAI, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the effects can be painful, costly, and even deadly.

What is AHRQ in healthcare?

AHRQ also oversees Patient Safety Organizations, which enable providers to report adverse events confidentially. In 2011, it created the National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions, and the most recent version showed a 13% drop in such conditions from 2014 to 2017, which saved approximately 20,500 lives.

How many hospitals participated in the IHI 5 Million Lives Campaign?

In 2006, the IHI spearheaded an even more ambitious initiative: its two-year 5 Million Lives Campaign. That effort enrolled more than 4,000 hospitals and provided additional recommendations, such as using evidence-based guidelines to prevent pressure ulcers.

When did the Patient Safety Goals program start?

The National Patient Safety Goals program released its first list of standards in 2003 and continues to update them annually. Most recently, the 2019 edition added protocols for preventing patient suicide. Over the years, the commission has taken numerous other steps as well.

Is poor communication a contributing factor in adverse events?

In fact, poor communication is a contributing factor in two out of three serious, preventable adverse events in hospitals, one study noted. To improve handoff communications, a team from Boston Children’s Hospital created the I-PASS project.

What did Dr. Berwick say about patient safety?

When it comes to patient safety, “In oncology it's crucial; this is an area where tremendous potential [for improvement] exists ,” Berwick told OT.

What is the NPSF report?

Shortly before the symposium at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) building in Washington to review progress on patient safety, the not-for-profit National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) released its own report calling for heightened efforts to reduce medical harm: “Free from Harm: Accelerating Patient Safety Improvement 15 Years after To Err Is Human .”

How many states have no A hospitals?

There are no “A” hospitals in three states: Wyoming, Alaska and North Dakota. Notably, 36 hospitals nationwide have achieved an “A” in every grading update since the launch of the Safety Grade in spring 2012.

How often is the leapfrog safety grade updated?

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. It is updated every six months, once in the fall and once in the spring.