An anesthesia quality improvement program utilizing a computer database to effect change

This article describes the perceived benefits of a quality improvement program, briefly discusses the steps involved in the establishment of such a program, and describes the implementation of a computer database for data collection and retrieval. The outcome of 4,500 anesthesia cases, representing 30 months of casework, is included. This article concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the program as well as a suggestion for future quality improvement endeavors.