Implementing a Quality Improvement Project

Abstract

The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) demonstrates a commitment to excellence by bariatric surgeons and allied health-care providers, with the goal of optimizing the quality, outcomes, and safety of metabolic and bariatric surgery. MBSAQIP requires that accredited centers measure, evaluate, and improve performance through at least one quality improvement (QI) project each year. The purpose of this chapter is to convey practical steps on how to design and perform a QI project. Specifically, the chapter describes the tools and resources provided by MBSAQIP for conducting a QI project and focuses on the following steps: selecting a specific target for improvement using the MBSAQIP Semiannual Report (SAR), identifying a numerical metric to initially quantify the baseline outcome and ultimately the QI project’s efficacy, developing a formal problem statement, performing a root cause analysis, building a multidisciplinary team to address the problem, choosing a specific intervention or set of interventions, and evaluating the final results of the project.