IOM to Study How Health Information Technology Will Improve Patient Safety

October 7, 2010 9:39 AM

Under a contract with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) will conduct a one-year study, reviewing evidence and ultimately making recommendations as to how health information technology (HIT) can best fulfill the goal of helping to improve patient safety in health care. The 1999 IOM report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, reported significant concerns about the quality of health care delivered in the US and presented strategies for reducing preventable medical errors. According to a US Department of Health and Human Services press release, the new IOM study “will draw on IOM’s depth of knowledge in this area to help all of us ensure that HIT reaches the goals we are seeking for patient safety improvement.” The new study will examine the prevention of HIT-related errors and the rapid reporting of HIT-related patient safety issues, among other patient-safety related issues. The study will also make recommendations on HIT-related government policies and stakeholder actions relative to their potential impact on maximizing patient safety. Additional information about the study is available on the IOM Web site.