The publication of the IOM report To Err is Human in 2000 served as a catalyst for a growing interest in improving the safety of health care. Yet despite decades of attention, activity and investment, improvement has been glacially slow. Although the rate of harm seems stable, increasing demand for health services, and the increasing intensity and complexity of those services (people are living longer, with more complex co-morbidities, and expecting higher levels of more advanced care) imply that the number of patients
harmed while receiving care will only increase, unless we find new and better ways to improve safety.
