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Defining Quality of Care in Geriatric Surgery

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Principles and Practice of Geriatric Surgery

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Abstract

Since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm were released a great deal of attention has been focused on improving both patient safety and the quality of care. The IOM estimates that 98,000 people die per year in hospitals due to preventable medical errors, with higher error rates and more serious consequences occurring in intensive care units, operating rooms, and emergency departments [1, 2]. Surgeons not only care for patients in high-risk environments including intensive care units and operating rooms but also care for high-risk patients who may require a procedure under emergency circumstances or have multiple comorbid medical conditions. These patients are at the greatest risk for adverse outcomes and will likely have the largest benefit from improvements in the quality of health care. Elderly patients undergoing surgery are one example of such a population at risk and therefore attention has been focused on elderly surgical patients and the potential importance of geriatric surgery as a surgical specialty.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Marcia L. McGory

Authors
  1. Marcia L. McGory
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  2. Hiroko Kunitake
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  3. Clifford Y. Ko
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcia L. McGory .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, 06520, Connecticut, USA

    Ronnie Ann Rosenthal

  2. Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Clarkson Ave. 450, Brooklyn, 11203, New York, USA

    Michael E. Zenilman

  3. , Chairman, Department of Surgery, Sinai Hospital, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, 21215, Maryland, USA

    Mark R. Katlic

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McGory, M.L., Kunitake, H., Ko, C.Y. (2011). Defining Quality of Care in Geriatric Surgery. In: Rosenthal, R., Zenilman, M., Katlic, M. (eds) Principles and Practice of Geriatric Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6999-6_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6999-6_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-6998-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-6999-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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