IHI Launches 5M Campaign

Building on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) successful 100K Lives Campaign, Don Berwick, M.D., on December 12, 2006, announced a new national IHI campaign focused on hospitals to protect patients from 5 million incidents of medical harm over a 24-month period. This represents a continuation of the largest health care improvement effort undertaken in recent history.

The IHI 5 Million Lives Campaign (5M Campaign) aims to enlist thousands of hospitals across the country to adopt six new improvements in care that can save lives and reduce patient injuries. IHI estimates that 15 million incidents of medical harm occur in U.S. hospitals each year. This equates to between 40 and 50 incidents of harm occuring for every 100 hospital admissions, using a methodology approved by leading medical researchers.

What's in a number? Based on IHI methodology, it is estimated that 145,000 incidents of harm occur within the 367,000 annual hospital admissions in Iowa. By participating in the Campaign, Iowa providers will attempt to prevent over 48,000 incidents of medical harm by December 2008.

IHI and IHC plan to include all 117 Iowa community hospitals in the 5M Campaign. These hospitals have already committed resources to the 100K Lives Campaign (that will continue as the now defined standard of care). The 5M Campaign will expand upon the original six initiatives of the 100K Campaign by adding the following:

• Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infection... by reliably implementing scientifically proven infection control practices throughout the hospital.
• Reduce harm for high-alert medications... starting with a focus on anticoagulants, sedatives, narcotics, and insulin.
• Reduce surgical complications... by reliably implementing the changes in care recommended by the Surgical Care Improvement Project.
• Prevent pressure ulcers... by reliably using science-based guidelines for prevention of this serious and common complication.
• Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for congestive heart failure... to reduce readmissions.
• Get boards on board... by defining and spreading new and leveraged processes for hospital boards of directors, so they can become far more effective in accelerating the improvement of care.

In addition to these six interventions, IHC will continue to promote the original six initiatives.

• Deploy Rapid Response Teams...at the first sign of patient decline
• Deliver Reliable, Evidence-Based Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction...to prevent deaths from heart attack
• Prevent Adverse Drug Events (ADEs)...by implementing medication reconciliation
• Prevent Central Line Infections...by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps called the "Central Line Bundle"
• Prevent Surgical Site Infections...by reliably delivering the correct perioperative care
• Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia...by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps called the "Ventilator Bundle"

Checklist for hospital-wide Campaign activity

At the start of the February 5 Campaign LIVE! call, 5 Million Lives Campaign Manager, Joe McCannon, referred to a list of key activities to carry out when getting down to the work of the Campaign. This Checklist for Hospital-wide Campaign Activity (PDF 140KB) was originally developed for the 100,000 Lives Campaign, the checklist is an effective tool to help you organize the multiple tasks necessary to engage your stakeholders and drive improvement.

Whether an Iowa hospital chooses to apply all, or some, of the recommended interventions, those results will be routinely tracked and measured, and will serve as a regular barometer for the campaign's progress.

If you have any questions, feel free to call:

515-283-9360 or
E-Mail Gail Meyer
E-Mail Kathy Trytten