The American College of Surgeons Children's Surgery Verification and Quality Improvement Program: implications for...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Perioperative Medicine
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Surgical Program Verification

Background:

• Multidisciplinary leaders convened in 2012 to address challenges in delivering pediatric surgical care.
• The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Children's Hospital Association (CHA) supported this initiative.
• The goal was to optimize children's surgical care delivery within the national healthcare landscape.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the history and key elements of the ACS Children's Surgery Verification and Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV).
• To detail the specific standards established for pediatric anesthesiology within the ACS CSV program.
• To highlight the program's potential to enhance surgical care for pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

• Development of principles for perioperative resource standards, quality improvement, safety processes, data collection, and verification.
• Establishment of the voluntary ACS Children's Surgery Verification and Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV).
• Defining requirements for pediatric anesthesia leadership, resources, and expertise in verified programs.

Main Results:

• The ACS CSV program launched in January 2017, with over 125 pediatric surgical programs expressing interest.
• Verified programs must meet specific criteria for pediatric anesthesia leadership and resources.
• Emphasis is placed on the availability of pediatric anesthesiologists or those with pediatric expertise.

Conclusions:

• The ACS CSV program builds upon decades of experience, similar to pediatric trauma verification.
• It has the potential to significantly improve the quality and safety of surgical care for infants and children.
• The program aims to standardize and elevate the level of care provided by pediatric surgical centers in the US and Canada.