to err is human report and the patient safety literature

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.

Full Answer

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.

What does “to err is human” mean?

“To Err is Human” illustrates the impact that a simple call to action can have. However, it is now more important than ever for the medical community to evaluate objectively the progress in efforts to promote patient safety.

Is to err is human a good book?

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.

What is the most common subject of patient safety publications?

The most frequent subject of patient safety publications before the IOM report was malpractice (6% v2%, p<0.001) while organizational culture was the most frequent subject (1% v5%, p<0.001) after publication of the report. Conclusions

What is err is human in research?

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.

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

The message in To Err is Human was that preventing death and injury from medical errors requires dramatic, systemwide changes.

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.

Who published To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System?

The IOH, Institute of HealthThe IOH, Institute of Health, published two exhaustive reports on healthcare: To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm.

Where did the saying To Err is Human come from?

Alexander Pope, poet of the Enlightenment, lent a famous line from his 1711 treatise An Essay on Criticism to the US Institutes of Medicine's report on patient safety: To Err is Human.

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 is human error in healthcare?

Human error is a determining factor in 70% to 80% of industrial accidents, as well as in a large percentage of errors and adverse events experienced in healthcare. In fact, it's a commonly held belief in some healthcare settings that human error represents the root cause of many adverse events.

What is human factors and why is it important to patient safety?

Human factors is a discipline that seeks to optimize the relationship between technology and humans, applying information about human behaviour, abilities, limitations, and other characteristics to the design of tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs and environments for effective, productive, safe and comfortable human ...

Why is patient safety so important in healthcare?

It aims to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harm that occur to patients during provision of health care. A cornerstone of the discipline is continuous improvement based on learning from errors and adverse events. Patient safety is fundamental to delivering quality essential health services.

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.

Which government Agency is responsible for research into health care safety?

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of healthcare for all Americans.

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.

Author information

1. Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

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.

Abstract

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.

Methods

Using data from a period of 10 years, we evaluated changes in patient safety publications in MEDLINE indexed journals and federal research funding associated with the release of the IOM report “ To Err is Human ”.

Results

The literature search identified 12 429 articles from among 5 207 194 MEDLINE publications between 1 January 1994 and 1 January 2005. Thirteen duplicates were identified leaving 12 416 publications for review. Patient safety or medical errors were identified as the principal focus for 5905 publications (48%).

Discussion

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.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Carole Foxman for database searches; Ralph Gertler and Joseph Meltzer for publication and research award reviews; and David Blumenthal, Clifford Deutschman, and Donald Redelmeier for their comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.