Action on IOM Report

Action on IOM Report

The 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report: To err is human:
Building a safer health system was a wake up call for both the general
public and healthcare providers regarding the problem and tragic consequences of
medical errors. According to the Report Brief: “At least 44,000 people, and
perhaps as many as 98,000 people, die in hospitals each year as a result of
medical errors that could have been prevented” (Institute of Medicine, 1999, p.
1). The report recommends a four-tiered approach as a strategy for addressing
this problem.

In this assignment, you will read the report and then evaluate how
the healthcare system has responded to each of the four recommendations made in
the report.

Institute of Medicine. (1999). To err is human: Building a safer
health system (Report Brief). Institute of Medicine of the National
Academies [Web page]. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/CMS/8089/5575/4117.aspx.

Use sources other than the textbook to find information about how
the U.S. healthcare system is acting on the four recommendations in the IOM
report. You may use journal articles, government reports, reports or findings of
public organizations, and other authoritative sources. The following are sources
of information on two of the recommendations:

• The first recommendation about creating leadership refers to the Agency for
  Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Use the AHRQ Web site http://www.ahrq.gov/.
• The third recommendation about actions of oversight organizations,
  professional groups, and group purchasers of healthcare identifies the Leapfrog
  Group (http://www.leapfroggroup.org/).

Write your assessment in a 4-page report. Include an appropriate
introduction and conclusion. Write your assessment of action on the four
recommendations in the IOM report. Then, write an overall assessment of how the
U.S. healthcare system is performing in regard to patient safety, in response to
the IOM recommendations. Give examples of actions by the healthcare industry and
cite sources. Write your report in a Word document formatted in APA style.