Which of the following best describes the primary conclusion of the re

Which of the following best describes the primary conclusion of the report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System?

a. Hospital staffing must be improved to focus on safety rather than cost containment.
b. Quality of care and medical error are not easily defined.
c. Patients must recognize that care providers are human and errors will occasionally be made.
d. System failures are resulting in an incredible amount of harm from medical errors.

ESSAYBID ANSWER

ANS: D
The first key message from this report was the emphasis on the incredible magnitude of harm resulting from medical errors, which are largely due to system problems, not individual failure. Error reporting programs are needed as health care systems are encouraged to focus on error reduction. The report clearly states that there is no one answer to solving this problem. Errors are directly related to outcomes, which is a significant concern in quality improvement efforts.