David Sprott distinguished lecture by William Woodall, Virginia Tech

Monitoring and Improving Surgical Quality

Some statistical issues related to the monitoring of surgical quality will be reviewed in this presentation. The important role of risk-adjustment in healthcare, used to account for variations in the condition of patients, will be described. Some of the methods for monitoring quality over time, including a new one, will be outlined and illustrated with examples. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) will be described, along with a case study demonstrating significant improvements in surgical infection rates and mortality.