Impact of implementation of the Surgical Care Improvement Project and future strategies for improving quality in surgery

Combined Preoperative Mechanical Bowel Preparation With Oral Antibiotics Significantly Reduces Surgical Site Infection, Anastomotic Leak, and Ileus After Colorectal Surgery

“…In addition, whether or not patients received IV systemic antibiotics at induction is not included; however, in accordance with evidence that 96% of US hospitals adhere to the Joint Commission's Surgical Care Improvement Program (SCIP) Inf-1 (prophylactic antibiotic received within 1 hour before surgical incision) guideline, we propose that the majority of patients did. 42 Although we were unable to evaluate Clostridium difficile rates, a recent study by the MSQC has shown that C. difficile rates are unaffected by oral antibiotics and MBP. In fact, there is a suggestion that as MBP+/ABX+ reduces infectious complications, and hence the need for postoperative antibiotics, it may be beneficial.…”

Quality of Dementia Care in the Community: Identifying Key Quality Assurance Components

“…Quality assurance can be an effective method to ensure fidelity to best practices and maintain a high standard of care quality. (37–41) Selected QIs address care processes, assessment and reassessment, medication review and management, investigations, non-pharmacological management, pharmacological management, and managing concomitant conditions. (42) Selected quality improvement mechanisms emphasize a desire for multimodal education and closer collaboration with specialists.…”

“…Quality assurance often targets relatively simple conditions, such as hypertension, or restricts its scope to specific aspects, processes or locations of care. (38–41) In contrast, dementia, like all major chronic conditions, follows a course of progressive decline punctuated by increasingly frequent health complications (related to dementia itself, as well as to exacerbations of concurrent comorbidities), multiple care transitions, progressive caregiver stress and health service utilization, and ultimately death. Optimal dementia care thus requires a systems approach of integration and coordination.…”

Setting the bar: compliance with ovarian cancer quality indicators at a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center

“…The NQF and The Joint Commission Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) implemented these measures nationwide starting in 2006 with the initial goal of reducing surgical complications by 25% by 2010 [20]. In a systematic review, progress has been demonstrated with the implementation of these guidelines including a decrease in the odds of developing surgical site infection [21]. Perhaps not surprisingly, our study demonstrates excellent compliance (N 96%) with existing NQF-endorsed perioperative quality measures, likely because these are being strictly tracked, and in many cases, have been incorporated into hospital systems as mandatory documentation within electronic medical records.…”