Quality improvement projects designed for inpatient hospital settings are often ineffective in ASCs without significant modification, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research.
Researchers asked 665 ASCs in 47 U.S. states to voluntarily implement a surgical safety checklist and infection control practices. The centers were encouraged to use approaches such as the physician-led model or the single-specialty, nine-month cohort model.
Five findings:
1. Researchers determined HOPDs are more similar to inpatient operating rooms than freestanding ASCs. Educational materials were adjusted so they applied to procedures offered in ASCs.
2. ASCs' limited resources made it challenging to schedule in-person collaborative meetings. Therefore, researchers discontinued in-person meetings and made all content web-based.
3. ASC staff often lacked formal quality improvement experience or training. Staff turnover also hindered quality improvement projects.
4. ASCs struggled to maintain high levels of engagement under the surgeon-led implementation model.
5. Strong support from administrative and clinical leads was the best predictor of engagement and successful implementation
