Other Medical Errors

Patient safety has become a major concern of the general public and of policymakers at the State and Federal levels. This interest has been fueled, in part, by news coverage of individuals who were victims of serious medical errors and by the publication in 1999 of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. In the report, the IOM highlighted the risks associated with medical care in the United States and shocked the sensibilities of many Americans, in large part through its estimate of the magnitude of medical-error-related deaths (44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year) and other serious adverse events.

The report prompted a number of legislative and regulatory initiatives designed to document errors and begin the search for solutions.

View sub-topics at right to learn more about specific medical errors.

See Also¶

1. Medical Malpractice & Negligent Care
2. Medication & Prescription Errors