The 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report indicated that as many as 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals each year as the result of medical errors. These estimates project medical error as the third leading cause of death in this country. Almost 7,000 people per year are estimated to die from medication errors alone. Medication error is one of the largest single categories of events that impair patient safety. The average intensive care unit (ICU) patient experiences 1.7 errors per day. Errors are a significant liability to hospitals and other health care facilities and a significant danger to the patient.
National patient safety standards are advocated by many groups. The American Dental Association (ADA) adopted five patient safety goals. The High 5’s target dental care practices that are most vulnerable to errors, including patient care handover errors; wrong site/procedure/patient surgical errors; continuity of medication errors; drug concentration errors; and effective hand hygiene practices. JCAHO and the Institute for healthcare Improvement promote safety in varied healthcare environments. Simulation and team training have been identified as a significant weapon in quest for safer patient care.
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