What is the Institute of Medicine's primary aim?

• A. Professional Education Reform
• B. Patient-Centered Safety
• C. Reducing Healthcare Costs
• D. Expanding Pharmaceutical Research

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the Institute of Medicine focuses on making healthcare safer for patients by building safety into every part of care and placing the patient at the center of improvements. The IOM has highlighted that many patient harms come from system flaws rather than individual errors, so its aim is to redesign processes, promote transparency, and foster a culture where safety and reliability are integral to care. In infection prevention, this means robust hand hygiene, proper sterile techniques, effective antibiotic stewardship, and timely reporting and learning from near-m misses and adverse events to reduce harm. Other options—reforming professional education, reducing costs, or expanding pharmaceutical research—are important areas, but they do not capture the IOM’s central focus on protecting patients through safer care.