Author Description

"To Err is Human" breaks the silence that has surrounded medical errors and their consequences - but not by pointing fingers at caring health care professionals who make honest mistakes. Instead, this book sets forth a national agenda - with state and local implications - for reducing medical errors and improving patient safety through the design of a safer health system. This volume reveals the truth of medical error and the disparity between the incidence of error and public perception of it. A careful examination is made of how the surrounding forces of legislation, regulation, and market activity influence the quality of care provided and then looks at the handling of medical mistakes. Using a detailed case study, the book reviews the current understanding of why these mistakes happen. Recognizing that legitimate liability concerns may discourage reporting of errors, the book asks, "How can we learn from our mistakes?" Balancing regulatory versus market-based initiatives and public versus private efforts, the Institute of Medicine presents recommendations for improving patient safety in the areas of leadership, improved data collection and analysis, and development of effective systems at the level of direct patient care. This book will be important to federal, state, and local health policymakers and regulators, health professional licensing officials, hospital administrators, medical educators and students, health care-givers, health journalists, patient advocates - as well as patients themselves.--BOOK JACKET.