20 Years After 'To Err is Human,' NLP Offers a New Way Forward for Patient Safety Health IT Answers

With late 2019 marking the 20th anniversary of the landmark report on medical errors "To Err is Human," now is time for a renewed focus on novel ways to improve patient safety. The report launched the modern patient safety movement by shedding some much-needed light on the prevalence of medical errors and preventable deaths in the U.S., spawning many improvements to patient safety over the subsequent two decades. But before the healthcare industry gets too self-congratulatory, we could use a quick reality check. Patient safety remains a persistent global issue that exacts a huge human cost, as well as a financial one, as a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) starkly illustrates. While it is estimated that there is a one in 3 million risk of dying while travelling by airplane, the risk of patient death while receiving healthcare due to a preventable medical accident is estimated to be one in 300, according to the WHO.