- Our Work>
- Patient Safety
- Project
National Patient Safety Board
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, preventable medical error caused an estimated 250,000 deaths a year in the U.S., ranking as the 3rd leading cause of death. Despite broad awareness of the problem since the 2000 publication of the Institute of Medicine report To Err Is Human, we have failed to make significant progress over the past 20 years.
We have seen many valiant efforts to reduce the problem of preventable medical error, but most of these have been focused on the actions of the frontline workforce. This reliance on individuals is part of why efforts to sustain, spread, or standardize progress have been unsuccessful. The healthcare workforce is in crisis, and healthcare safety is suffering. Meanwhile, other industries have seen dramatic improvements in safety. Transportation, for instance, benefits from having that single federal agency with a clear, defined, and focused mission.
In early 2021, a growing coalition of leading healthcare organizations and experts led by the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative began to advance and call for the creation of a National Patient Safety Board (NPSB) to model the transportation industry's efforts in safety and bring a data-driven, scalable approach to preventing and reducing harms in health care.
“We must find solutions that address the numerous safety gaps in the current U.S. healthcare system.... The creation of a National Patient Safety Board is the critical first step towards safer health care for all.“