Quality improvement in pediatrics: past, present, and future
Stephanie P Schwartz1, Kyle J Rehder1,2
1Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Duke Children's Hospital, Durham, North Carolina.
Pediatric Research
|September 28, 2016
Summary
Quality improvement in pediatrics has significantly reduced patient harm and improved safety. Future efforts focus on education and collaboration to ensure best practices in child healthcare.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Pediatric Patient Safety
Background:
- The
- To Err is Human
- report highlighted preventable harm in hospitals, necessitating quality improvement (QI) initiatives.
- Rising healthcare costs also drove the adoption of QI methodologies from high-reliability industries.
Observation:
- Pediatric studies show substantial improvements in patient safety domains like handoffs and catheter-associated bloodstream infections.
- Quality improvement translates existing knowledge into practice using a cyclic approach, distinct from research's hypothesis-driven knowledge generation.
Findings:
- QI methodologies have demonstrably led to improved patient outcomes in pediatric care.
- Recent publications offer guidelines for reporting QI and safety work.
Implications:
- Future pediatric quality improvement should emphasize education and collaboration.
- Ensuring best practices in caring for children requires continued focus on QI strategies.
- This review examines the impact and future direction of QI in pediatric healthcare.
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