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Quality Improvement in the Intensive Care Unit

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The Organization of Critical Care

Part of the book series: Respiratory Medicine ((RM,volume 18))

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Abstract

Medical error is common and devastating, claiming the lives of an estimated 100,000 people per year in the USA. The intellectual origins of the modern intensive care unit (ICU) quality improvement (QI) movement can be traced to post-World War II Japanese industrial process management and to aviation safety. From Japanese Industrial process management, the concepts of unnecessary variation and statistical process control have been applied to the ICU to develop our current QI efforts. The Structure–Process–Outcome model of QI provides a solid theoretical approach for many efforts. From aviation safety, Human Factors Analysis, Checklists, and Crew Resource Management are tools adapted for the ICU QI team. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has created a practical, stepwise QI process that uses a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle to help QI teams assess and improve their ICUs. These tools provide a foundation for quality improvement efforts in the ICU.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Value Measurement and Comparative Effectiveness, Providence Health and Services, 1801 Lind Avenue SW, Renton, WA, 98057, USA

    Christopher Dale

  2. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, 359762, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA

    J. Randall Curtis

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  1. Christopher Dale
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  2. J. Randall Curtis
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Correspondence to J. Randall Curtis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Damon C. Scales

  2. Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Gordon D. Rubenfeld

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Dale, C., Curtis, J.R. (2014). Quality Improvement in the Intensive Care Unit. In: Scales, D., Rubenfeld, G. (eds) The Organization of Critical Care. Respiratory Medicine, vol 18. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0811-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0811-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0810-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0811-0

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