Quality Improvement: The Pioneers

Abstract

This Nexus provides background information about assistance in dying. The international perspective based on developments in Western Europe, especially the Netherlands, provides a useful context in which to place events in the United States. Part II considers the history and legal context of assistance in dying in the United States. Oregon is given special attention because it remains the only state with legally sanctioned assistance in dying. Readers are urged to bear in mind the definitions and distinctions among assisted dying, the various forms of euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide. Informed observers of the discussion will readily see that the terms and concepts are often used imprecisely and as though they are synonymous. Productive debate of assistance in dying will occur only if all those involved agree on definitions and the meaning of the concepts.

Comparing Forced-Air to Resistive-Polymer Warming for Perioperative Temperature Management: A Retrospective Study

“…Codman was a preeminent figure in the medical community related to his early work on quality improvement in hospitals. Dr. Codman helped to establish the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in 1913 with the stated objective of endresult system of hospital standardization (Darr, 2007;Howel & Ayanian, 2016). His work, known today as outcomes management of patient care, established hospital reform by tracking patient outcomes (Darr, 2007).…”

“…Dr. Codman helped to establish the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in 1913 with the stated objective of endresult system of hospital standardization (Darr, 2007;Howel & Ayanian, 2016). His work, known today as outcomes management of patient care, established hospital reform by tracking patient outcomes (Darr, 2007). Dr. Codman was a surgeon practicing at Massachusetts General Hospital in the 1890s when he began tracking outcomes of surgical procedures.…”

“…He collected data and stratified variables based on organizational, clinician, and patient factors. In the event of a poor outcome or the identification of an error, he sought to correct variables that would lead to the prevention of future occurrences (Anderson, 2018;Darr, 2007).…”

“…This process, well known today, defied the status quo in the early 20 th century. Codman challenged other hospitals to do the same to track clinical outcomes (Darr, 2007). This study seeks to gather and analyze data on patients regarding perioperative temperature management with the explicit measurement of outcomes related to hypothermia.…”

“…Ernest Codman's early work on quality improvement continues to shape how we perform endresult systems research to improve surgical outcomes (Darr, 2007).…”