Medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people every year, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.  The extra medical costs of treating drug-related injuries occurring in hospitals alone conservatively amount to $3.5 billion a year

Building upon the success of the 100k Lives Campaign, the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) recently launched the 5 Million Lives Campaign. The initiative challenges hospitals to adopt 12 changes that have proven to save lives or reduce harm to patients. The campaign will run from December 2006 to December 2008.