Through the generosity of the Rosenthal Family Foundation (formerly the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation), a discussion series was created to bring greater attention to some of the significant health policy issues facing our nation today. Each year a major health topic is addressed through remarks and conversation between experts in the field. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) later publishes the proceedings from this event for the benefit of a wider audience. This volume summarizes an engaging discussion on the IOM 2002 report, Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses.
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM, formerly the Institute of Medicine-IOM) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the National Research Council (NRC).
The National Academy of Medicine provides national advice on issues relating to biomedical science, medicine, and health, and serves as an adviser to the nation to improve health aims to provide unbiased, evidence-based, and authoritative information and advice concerning health and science policy to policy-makers, professionals, leaders in every sector of society, and the public at large.
Operating outside the framework of the U.S. federal government, it relies on a volunteer workforce of scientists and other experts, operating under a formal peer-review system. As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in a relevant field as well as for their willingness to participate actively.