What is the aim of the 5 Million Lives Campaign?
The aim of the 5 Million Lives Campaign is to support the improvement of medical care in the US, significantly reducing current levels of morbidity (illness or medical harm such as adverse drug events or surgical complications) and mortality. We have quantified this aim and set a numeric goal: we are asking hospitals participating in the Campaign to prevent 5 million incidents of medical harm over the next two years. IHI estimates that 15 million incidents of medical harm occur in the US each year. That is based on an estimate of about 40 incidents of harm per 100 admissions (more than one harm event for every three admissions) and roughly 37 million hospital admissions per year in the US, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA). If successful by the Campaign’s deadline, the hospitals participating in the 5 Million Lives Campaign will have reduced national medical harm by approximately one third. The 5 Million Lives Campaign actively seeks more hospitals to take part in th
