Date of Publication:
MAR 2012
Associated Project:
Patient Safety MeasuresAbstract
Americans are exposed to more preventable medical errors than patients in industrialized nations; medical errors within the United States healthcare system occur every day in the tens of thousands and potentially hundreds of thousands. These errors cause injuries in as many as one out of every 25 hospital patients and lead to an estimated 44,000-98,000 patient deaths annually. In January 2012, NQF endorsed six patient safety measures that can have broad, far-reaching impact in reducing mortality and mitigating severe harm.
