10 Years after "To Err is Human"

According to "Dead by Mistake," an investigation undertaken by the Hearst Corporation, an estimated 200,000 Americans will die from preventable medical mistakes and hospital infections this year. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine released "To Err is Human", a report which outlined a comprehensive strategy which could be used to reduce preventable medical errors. The report stated that the "know-how already exists to prevent many of these mistakes," and set a goal of 50% error reduction over the next five years. It is now ten years later and Hearst states that "98,000 Americans die from preventable medical errors each year and just as many from hospital-acquired infections." To read more about the Hearst investigation, click here.

Last year, INQRI researchers David Thompson, Jill Marsteller, Bryan Sexton and Peter Pronovost completed their project, "Linking Blood Stream Infection Rates to Intensive Care." The goal of this study was to implement a comprehensive safety program including an evidence based intervention to reduce central line-associated blood stream infections while examining the context of nursing care delivery on patient outcomes. This interdisciplinary research team used the expertise of nurses to develop and deliver a quality improvement initiative that reflects the positive clinical contributions of nurses in the critical care setting. Using their intervention, central line blood stream infections were practically eliminated. Click here to learn more about their project.