Quality Improvement

Abstract

Despite lagging other US industries, effective healthcare quality improvement (QI) programs are expected by patients, insurers, government agencies, and hospital leadership. Quality is important in any field, but even more so in medicine, where life and death are at stake. As the finances of medicine become more important, it is stressed more that we should look to produce quality medicine with fewer resources. The chapter looks at quality improvement projects to help streamline and provide better patient care while reducing expenses and increasing productivity. Anesthetists need to look at their culture, teamwork, current safety guidelines to help guide us and develop new methods for achieving quality and safe medicine.