Introduction: Quality Improvement and Databases in the Context of Professionalism

Abstract

Throughout much of modern history, the physician has had two roles, “healer of the sick” and “member of a profession”. Although the distinction between these two roles has not been commonly appreciated, these roles have different historical origins and involve different activities. Viewed from this context, quality improvement is a fundamental responsibility of a profession, and databases and registries, created and maintained by professional groups that are focused on patient outcomes, are a critically important tool by which quality improvement can occur. Database/registry participation, careful review of the resulting outcomes data, and active attempts to improve the quality of our patients’ outcomes are thus fundamental to both being better “healers of the sick” and responsible “members of a profession.”.