The concept of medical harm has existed for over a thousand years famously discussed by Hipposcrates and passed on in the term
iatrogenesis, from the Greek for "originating from the physician.'
Iatrogenic illness is one of the most common conditions treated in hospitals and one of the leading causes of death.
The Canadian Adverse Events study demonstrated that 7%-12% of hospital patients experience a medical error and that 30-40% of these events are preventable.
Research has shown that health care clinicians successfully apply proven medical evidence in common acute, chronic, or preventive care process less than 80% of the time (Resar 2006).
