What’s New in Quality Improvement: What to Prepare For

Program Description Our duty as otolaryngologists to provide the best care possible depends on our ability to stay current with the literature. This important task is becoming more difficult in this era of long hours, more clinical demands, and an ever‐growing body of medical literature. Additionally, key research findings that influence policies at hospitals and surgical centers are frequently not published in the usual journals read by otolaryngologists. The educational objectives of this miniseminar are to discuss current original research findings, provide a forum for the exchange of scholarly ideas, and highlight examples of best practice as related to new findings in the literature of patient safety and quality improvement. The format will be through the use of PowerPoint presentations with critical appraisal of the articles using the criteria described by SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence), and then considering the validity and usefulness of the results in a practical manner toward our clinical practices. Articles will be chosen that have direct relevance and impact on the practice of otolaryngology‐head and neck surgery. The articles will be chosen by the members of the Patient Safety and Quality Care Committee. Educational Objectives 1) Describe important recent research findings in the fields of patient safety and quality improvement. 2) Understand the relevance of these new findings to the everyday clinical practice of otolaryngology‐head and neck surgery. 3) Learn about the SQUIRE guidelines for reporting quality improvement studies.