Robert M . Wachter Patient Safety At Ten : Unmistakable Progress ,

Patient safety at ten: unmistakable progress, troubling gaps.

December 1, 2009, marks the tenth anniversary of the Institute of Medicine report on medical errors, To Err Is Human, which arguably launched the modern patient-safety movement. Over the past decade, a variety of pressures (such as more robust accreditation standards and increasing error-reporting requirements) have created a stronger business case for hospitals to focus on patient safety. Rela...

The end of the beginning: patient safety five years after 'to err is human'.

The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on medical errors galvanized the public and health professionals. Before then, providers, health care organizations, and policymakers lacked the understanding and incentives to generate the changes in culture, systems, training, and technology to improve safety. Since 1999 there has been progress, but it has been insufficient. Stronger regulation has help...

On the Radar

Notes At times, reading the safety and quality literature can make one wonder if we are making as much progress as we should or would like? So it is useful to be reminded at times that there has been progress, in some areas substantial progress, and our efforts are not in vain. This commentary piece by two of the leaders in patient safety, Peter Pronovost and Robert Wachter, to be published in ...

Patient safety at 10 years: how far have we come? What's next?

Academic year-end transfers of outpatients from outgoing to incoming residents: an unaddressed patient safety issue.