Preventable harm in the healthcare system is an urgent public health challenge, internationally and in the United States. Globally, more people die now from medical errors or other breakdowns in the quality and safety of healthcare services than from lack of access to them. (1) Researchers estimate that medication errors, preventable infections, venous thromboembolism, falls, and other preventable harms in hospitals take the lives of 400,000 or more Americans annually. (2)(3) That’s where we come in. We are the founders of the United States branch of Patients for Patient Safety (PFPS US), an international network of patient and family representatives
