A leading innovator in patient safety shows how to save lives. While Americans spend more on health care than any other country in the western world, our hospitals and clinics kill more patients. Patient safety expert Dr. Peter Pronovost is working to remedy that, by changing the way hospitals and doctors function day to day. In fact, his ideas are already saving people. By introducing a five-step checklist that standardizes a common ICU procedure, Dr. Pronovost has decreased the rate of infection--and as a result, unnecessary deaths- across the country by 90 percent.

Improving health care is a priority for all Americans, but it's a daunting subject. In this book, Dr. Pronovost makes reform relatable, easy to understand, and inspiring. With opinions and anecdotal evidence from patients, health care professionals, and Dr. Pronovost's own experience, as well as comprehensive research on medical procedures and policies, Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals shows how simple steps can fix our hospitals and improve patient care.