Improving Indicators in a Brazilian Hospital Through Quality-Improvement Programs Based on STS Database Reports

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Quality Improvement
• Health Informatics

Background:

• The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database is a valuable tool for quality assessment in cardiac surgery.
• Implementing quality improvement initiatives is crucial for enhancing patient outcomes in cardiovascular procedures.
• Brazilian hospitals are increasingly adopting international databases for performance monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the initial impact of quality improvement programs based on STS database feedback in a Brazilian hospital.
• To assess changes in key performance indicators following the implementation of multifaceted quality initiatives.
• To analyze improvements in mechanical ventilation time, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and perioperative therapies for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients.

Main Methods:

• A Brazilian hospital joined the STS Database in 2011.
• Multifaceted quality improvement actions, informed by STS reports, were implemented starting in 2012.
• Analysis included 947 patients undergoing CABG surgery between July 2011 and June 2014.

Main Results:

• The quality improvement program resulted in positive changes across all three targeted endpoints.
• Improvements were observed in reduced mechanical ventilation duration, shorter ICU stays, and enhanced perioperative therapies.
• The reduction in mechanical ventilation time did not reach statistical significance after adjusting for prognostic factors.

Conclusions:

• The initial experience with the STS registry in a Brazilian hospital demonstrated success in improving most targeted quality indicators.
• Quality improvement programs driven by STS data can positively influence patient care in cardiovascular surgery.
• Further research may be needed to confirm the statistical significance of all observed improvements.