Improving safety and outcomes in perioperative care: does implementation matter?

Guy L Ludbrook; Carol J Peden

doi:10.1016/j.bja.2022.01.026

Improving safety and outcomes in perioperative care: does implementation matter?

Br J Anaesth. 2022 May;128(5):747-751. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2022.01.026. Epub 2022 Feb 26.

Authors

Guy L Ludbrook¹, Carol J Peden²

Affiliations

¹ Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia; The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. Electronic address: guy.ludbrook@sa.gov.au.
² Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia; University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Chicago, IL, USA.

PMID: 35227460
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2022.01.026

Abstract

The IMPROVE study describes a large perioperative quality improvement project with reporting of both compliance with improvement activities and patient outcomes. It highlights the importance of such projects, as well as the challenges in implementing change and proving benefit. Challenges identified include the importance of effective training in practice change, selection of trial design and relevant quality measures, and how the context of quality improvement initiatives may influence outcomes. Quality improvement programmes of this nature, despite the difficulties with implementation and trial design, remain a high priority because of their positive influence on improving clinical practice.

Keywords: implementation science; outcomes; patient safety; performance; perioperative medicine; quality improvement; stepped-wedge trial design.

Publication types

Editorial
Comment

MeSH terms

Humans
Patient Safety*
Perioperative Care* / standards
Quality Improvement