Clearing the err.

Area of Science:

• Health policy
• Patient safety
• Medical errors

Background:

• The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report, "To ERR Is Human: Building a Safer Health System," highlighted the issue of preventable medical errors.
• This report called for a significant cultural shift in healthcare to improve patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress made in addressing preventable medical errors in the decade following the "To ERR Is Human" report.
• To assess the impact of federal and state initiatives aimed at enhancing healthcare safety.

Main Methods:

• Review of governmental and agency actions taken in response to the "To ERR Is Human" report.
• Analysis of legislative and regulatory changes implemented over a 10-year period.

Main Results:

• Federal and state governments and agencies have actively pursued initiatives to reduce medical errors.
• Progress has been made in implementing recommendations to create a safer healthcare system.

Conclusions:

• Significant efforts have been undertaken to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors since 1999.
• The review provides an overview of accomplishments in enhancing healthcare safety over the past decade.