When the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued its widely publicized To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System report in 1999, estimating up to 98,000 patients die each year from preventable medical mistakes in U.S. hospitals, healthcare leaders rallied to the cause of shrinking that alarming figure. In 2006, the IOM estimated that medical errors harm at least 1.5 million people annually and account for an estimated $3.5 billion in medical cists to treat drug-related injuries in hospitals alone.

However, there is promise that existing information technology (IT) solutions can help reduce preventable medical errors. The majority of errors do not result from carelessness, but rather from flaws in the delivery and communications system. Studies indicate that paper-based prescribing is associated with high error rates and that electronic prescribing is safer because it eliminates problems with handwriting legibility and, when combined with decision-support tools, automatically alerts prescribers to possible interactions, allergies, and other potential problems.

Currently available information technologies (IT) – computerized physician order entry (CPOE), e-prescribing, clinical decision support and bar coding – are proven to address these flaws. Through the gradual conversion of paper-based clinical data to digitalized electronic health records (EHRs), IT is connecting the healthcare enterprise, reducing errors and saving lives.

Protocols and best practice guidelines, as well as incentives, such as pay-for-performance and grant programs will increasingly capture the attention of healthcare providers seeking increased patient safety. Additionally, federal regulations, such as the recent Bar Code Rule mandated by the FDA, requiring bar code labeling for all pharmaceuticals, will progressively help prevent errors.

FAST FACTS
Since the 1999 IOM report*:

• Computerized physician prescribing decreased medical errors by 80 percent.
• Standardizing medication practices reduced adverse drug events by 60 percent.
• While 74 percent of hospitals have implemented a safety plan, nearly 9 percent still have no plan.
• Only 3 percent of hospitals have fully implemented CPOE systems for medications.

Point of View

“Imagine you lived in a country where there were 44,000 to 98,000 airline deaths a year. You’d probably be screaming about the need for a standard of safety. These are the reported number of people who die from medical errors. We make pilots adhere to standards. We make passengers wear seatbelts. Why shouldn’t your life be as important in a hospital bed as it is in a seat on a plane?” Newt Gingrich, founder of the Center for Health Transformation

Siemens Thought Leaders

Meet Siemens Medical Solutions executives whose expertise on the issue of patient safety is sought across the industry. more

Case Studies

View examples of how technologies and services from Siemens Medical Solutions are helping customers reduce medical errors and enhance patient safety. more

April 23, 2007
Siemens Convenes Leading Customer CPOE Users for Fourth Annual Symposium Promoting Patient Safety
February 13, 2007
Siemens Provides Powerful Link to Support Medication Safety