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Defining Quality in Surgery

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The SAGES Manual of Quality, Outcomes and Patient Safety

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Abstract

With growing recognition of wide variations in surgical performance, demand for information on surgical quality is at an all time high. However, there is very little agreement about how to best assess performance in surgery. According to the widely used Donabedian paradigm, quality can be measured using various aspects of structure, process, or outcome. Recently, there is growing enthusiasm for composite (or “global”) measures of quality. In this chapter, we discuss the pros and cons of each measurement approach and make recommendations for choosing among them.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, 211 North Fourth Avenue, Suites 2A & 2B, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA

    Justin B. Dimick MD, MPH (Assistant Professor)

Authors
  1. Justin B. Dimick MD, MPH
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Justin B. Dimick MD, MPH .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, 1100 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 19107, Pennsylvania, USA

    David S. Tichansky, MD, FACS

  2. Minimally Invasive Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Pasteur Drive 300, Stanford, 94305, USA

    John Morton, MD, MPH

  3. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical, Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School, Brookline Ave. 330, Boston, 02215-5400, Massachusetts, USA

    Daniel B. Jones

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Dimick, J.B. (2012). Defining Quality in Surgery. In: Tichansky, MD, FACS, D., Morton, MD, MPH, J., Jones, D. (eds) The SAGES Manual of Quality, Outcomes and Patient Safety. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7901-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7901-8_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-7900-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-7901-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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