What is 5 Million Lives

The 5 Million Lives Campaign is a national initiative led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to protect 5 million patients from incidents of medical harm over the next two years (December 2006 – December 2008).

Hospital-associated infections, adverse drug events, surgical errors, pressure sores, and other complications continue to occur despite best efforts to address adverse events. Based on data collected over several years from multiple partner institutions, IHI estimates that nearly 15 million instances of medical harm occur in the US each year – a rate of over 40,000 per day. This is a larger burden than most patients and professionals, and even some health care researchers, realize.

IHI and its partner organizations, including Premier, are tackling medically-induced injuries and expanding the focus to dramatically accelerate efforts to reduce non-fatal harm, while continuing to reduce preventable deaths.

Additionally, there are many other patient safety initiatives, state and government, underway that align with these objectives. As IHI launches this Campaign, there will be coordination and collaboration with such efforts to amplify all programs and achieve unprecedented national results.