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Professional Issues

Reducing Medical Errors

Medical Evidence and Knowledge-Based Resources in Reducing Medical Errors: The Role of the Medical Librarian

By J. Michael Homan, 2000-2001 MLA President, Board of Directors, Medical Library Association and Director, Medical Library, the Mayo Clinic

"When the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued its report on medical errors (To Err is Human, 1999) healthcare providers who dismissed it as "nothing new" were blindsided by the report's impact. The skeleton in the closet of American medicine may be well known (if not often talked about) in the industry, but the problem was big news to consumers. And it soon became a focus of interest for Congress, the President and other policy makers. Everyone knows that mistakes are made - even fatal ones - but most people were stunned by the enormity of the problem. The reputation of the IOM, an agency of the National Academy of Science, lent special weight to the report."

Portions of this article were originally excerpted on the Healthleaders Website; read the full article

For further information, contact Carla Funk, funk@mlahq.org, 312.419.9094 x14.