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Quality management in general surgery: a review of the literature
Authors: Mircea Beuran, Ionut Negoi, Sorin Paun, Mihaela Vartic, Bogdan Stoica, Ioan Tănase, Ruxandra Irina Negoi, Sorin Hostiuc
Number of views: 586
Introduction: Total quality management is a systematic approach focused on satisfying
customers’ expectations, identifying problems, analytically solving patient’s problems and to
implement continuous quality improvement. Method: Systematic review of the English language
medical literature, using electronic search of the Pubmed, ProQuest and ScienceDirect databases
with different combinations of the keywords: total quality management, healthcare, trauma, and
minimally invasive surgery. Results: The assessment of outcomes in surgery represents a part
of the quality assurance of patients’ care. Usually, the surgeons have their own set of mental
variables that can predict good and bad outcomes Surveys of complication rates and outcome
are a poor substitute for quality control. For the reported complications it is impossible to know
which complications are real (inherent to surgery and unavoidable) and which are a consequence
of a mistake or an error in judgment. For polytrauma patients, optimal outcome requires an initial
management fulfilling a high standard of quality assurance. A prerequisite is the availability of
adequate resources at all times, including personnel, technical equipment, and special designed
emergency room. Conclusions: Romanian hospitals need a more aggressive implementation
of total quality management policy, in order to maintain their competitiveness on nowadays
European Union competitive market.