Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part III: To Err is Human

Abstract

A groundbreaking report on safety in health care was the Institute of Medicine publication, To Err is Human. It indicated that there were up to 98,000 deaths per year because of medical errors. This report resulted in major discussions in the media, Congress, and medical circles and had multiple effects on health care. Much greater attention was subsequently spent on patient safety by members of the health-care team, including administrators and researchers. However, a decade and a half later, much still needs to be done.