IHI Announces More Than 60,000 Lives Already Saved Through its 100,000 Lives Campaign

Link: Infection Control Today

     CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) announces that its landmark campaign to save 100,000 lives in U.S. hospitals by June 14, 2006 has already saved 60,500 lives (as of March 13) – with three months still to go. More than 3,000 acute-care hospitals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have joined the Campaign, which continues to transform American health care and demonstrate historic results. Launched in December 2004, the 100,000 Lives Campaign is the first-ever national initiative that aims to save a large and specified number of lives by a certain date. The Campaign asks participating hospitals to implement six evidence-based interventions. In addition to saving lives, the Campaign has demonstrated remarkable achievement in patient care. Twenty hospitals enrolled in the Campaign, for instance, have had no cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) for one year or more. VAP, a lung infection and a leading killer among hospital-acquired infections, is addressed by one of the Campaign’s interventions.  Hospitals are reporting comparable successes with other Campaign interventions and setting new standards for hospitals across the country.