Health Care has been slower than other industries to acknowledge error as a problem.

This reticence, in part, comes from the belief that any mistake related to patient care and services is totally unacceptable. However, the expectation of perfection from within the health care system, as well as from the public, is misguided and dangerous.

As the IOM Report title suggests, error will never be eliminated, but it can be reduced and managed by identifying and addressing risks in an effective, efficient, and open manner.