Improvement Science in Anaesthesia

Abstract

Purpose of ReviewThis article offers an overview of the history and features of Improvement Science in general and some of its applications to Anaesthesia in particular.Recent FindingsImprovement Science is an evolving discipline aiming to generate learning from quality improvement interventions. An increasingly common approach to improving Anaesthesia services is to employ large-scale perioperative data measurement and feedback programmes. Improvement Science offers important insights on questions such as which indicators to collect data for; how to capture that data; how it can be presented in engaging visual formats; how it could/should be fed back to frontline staff and how they can be supported in their use of data to generate improvement.SummaryData measurement and feedback systems represent opportunities for anaesthetists to work with multidisciplinary colleagues to help improve services and outcomes for surgical patients. Improvement Science can help evaluate which approaches work, and in which contexts, and is therefore of value to healthcare commissioners, providers and patients.

Reducing postoperative pain in children undergoing strabismus surgery: From bundle implementation to clinical decision support tools

“…Anesthesiologists typically work independently of each other within larger surgical teams and working in such relative isolation fosters heterogenous practice. However, perioperative process and outcome measures are increasingly collected and reported back to individual physicians in the hope of reducing some variations in practice in order to deliver improved patient and family satisfaction and experiences . Such initiatives place an individual's performance in context, not only to group performance but also relative to negative patient experiences, by presenting outcomes and bundle compliance rates side by side.…”

Disruptive innovators in anaesthesia: data and devices

“…The concept of big data in healthcare research is not new, although its value is fast gaining recognition. (1) Big data describes the large volume of structured and unstructured data such as patient records, prescription information, treatment plans and disease codes generated within healthcare organisations daily. These encompass the five Vs of big data (volume, variety, velocity, value and veracity).…”

“…(3,5) It showcases how big data is a reality in our health system and the growing importance of improvement science in medicine. (1) AIMS allows anaesthetists access to accurate and high-quality data. Similar to Lie et al, other researchers have developed systems to capture quality assurance information linked to automated anaesthesia records, resulting in easier, more seamless and betterquality reporting through case documentation.…”

Anaesthetic research in low‐ and middle‐income countries

“…Some would argue that the challenge in LMICs is not what to do, but how to improve care to current high‐income country standards. Indeed, the fields of implementation science, improvement science, and operational research may all be used to embed this within academically rigorous frameworks .…”