Quality Anesthesia: Medicine Measures, Patients Decide

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Healthcare quality is defined by six domains: effectiveness, equity, timeliness, efficiency, safety, and patient-centeredness.
• Anesthesia care quality can be enhanced through local quality improvement initiatives and national value-based purchasing programs.
• While anesthesia-related deaths have decreased, measurement must extend beyond simple mortality rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the need for anesthesiologists to assume shared accountability for all surgical outcomes, including complications.
• To highlight the potential for anesthesiologists to impact public health through improved cognitive recovery and addressing the opioid crisis.
• To advocate for a patient-centered approach, prioritizing patient-desired outcomes and satisfaction in perioperative care.

Main Methods:

• Quality measurement through local improvement projects.
• National quality measurement within value-based purchasing frameworks.
• Focus on comprehensive perioperative outcome assessment.

Main Results:

• Anesthesia-related mortality has been reduced but requires broader measurement.
• Shared accountability for surgical outcomes is crucial for improving perioperative care.
• Anesthesiologists can influence public health via cognitive recovery and opioid crisis management.

Conclusions:

• Improving perioperative care necessitates a holistic approach with shared accountability.
• Anesthesiologists play a vital role in enhancing patient-oriented outcomes and satisfaction.
• Engaging with patients and the entire perioperative process maximizes the impact on care quality.