Quality assessment in surgery: where do we stand now and where should we be heading?

Abstract

While surgery is gaining in efficiency it is equally getting more and more complex. Meanwhile patients are getting more and more demanding. In the past decades, safety and quality have become prominent criteria by which surgical care is evaluated. Several important factors can be identified which are influencing the quality of surgical care, in our view these factors can be classified into four major groups: the team of caretakers, the patient, the material, and the procedure. For all of these factors, a high level of knowledge and optimal communication is crucial to guarantee a high standard of care and minimize the chance of complications. Different quality assessment tools are currently used in surgery. Databases of surgical procedures have the potential to offer an enormous amount of information on the quality of care. However, the implementation of comprehensive databases is difficult and expensive, while its value is overshadowed by possible underreporting. Introducing surgical checklists is a cheap yet efficient way to increase both the safety and the quality of surgical care. Nevertheless, its implementation is sometimes opposed since they slow down the patient flow. The risk of complications tends to increase when a new technique is introduced. Therefore, quality assurance (QA) programs have to be implemented. Surgical simulation training is rapidly becoming a necessary adjunct to traditional patient-based training models. Finally, key performance indicators (KPI) can be used for measuring the success of medical interventions such as surgery. For the near future, the introduction of one comprehensive medical file per patient could be a major step in increasing the safety and efficiency of our medical deeds. In parallel, a nationwide prospective registry for surgical interventions should be introduced. Postgraduate surgical training should be organized by the national professional groups and should be adapted to the local needs. A system of accreditation for specific interventions should be introduced guaranteeing their state-of-the-art application.