The document discusses key concepts in quality management and patient safety, including definitions of safety in healthcare. It notes that medical errors lead to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the US healthcare system according to the 1999 IOM report. Both active errors at the sharp end and latent errors in system design can cause harm. While individuals may slip or make mistakes, most medical errors are systems-driven according to IHI research. A safety culture and focus on systems improvements rather than blame can help reduce errors. The Swiss cheese model of accident analysis and human factors engineering are approaches to analyzing root causes and designing safer systems.