<P> To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System is a report issued in November 1999 by the U.S. Institute of Medicine that may have resulted in increased awareness of U.S. medical errors . The push for patient safety that followed its release continues . The report was based upon analysis of multiple studies by a variety of organizations and concluded that between 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year as a result of preventable medical errors . For comparison, fewer than 50,000 people died of Alzheimer's disease and 17,000 died of illicit drug use in the same year . </P> <P> The report called for a comprehensive effort by health care providers, government, consumers, and others . Claiming knowledge of how to prevent these errors already existed, it set a minimum goal of 50 percent reduction in errors over the next five years . Though not currently quantified, as of 2007 this ambitious goal has yet to be met . </P>

Institute of medicine report to err is human