What are the types of quality problems identified by the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on...

The IOM’s quality framing highlights three categories of quality problems:underuse(failing to provide beneficial care),overuse(providing care where harms outweigh benefits), andmisuse(errors/defects in delivering appropriate care). This triad matters to risk management because harm arises not only from mistakes (misuse) but also fromomissions(underuse) andunnecessary interventions(overuse). For example, missing a diagnostic test can cause deterioration (underuse), while ordering a risky, non-indicated procedure can cause avoidable complications (overuse). Misuse connects strongly to patient safety incident analysis and reliability engineering. Together, these categories provide a comprehensive lens for prioritizing improvement: reduce preventable adverse events, close evidence-based gaps, and avoid low-value care that increases complications and cost. Using this IOM model supports a balanced quality/risk program that prevents harm across the full spectrum of clinical decision-making and care delivery.