Quality and Patient Safety Teams in the Perioperative Setting

Quality and patient safety teams in the perioperative setting can provide perioperative personnel with a safety net to prevent avoidable errors, which is a necessity in today's complex surgical world. The primary goal of the quality and patient safety team should be to develop and implement a perioperative quality and patient safety strategic plan. The mission of the plan can be developed by surveying facility employees, choosing a quality methodology, and using an evidence-based approach to develop and implement quality programs and processes. To create and sustain a quality and patient safety team, it is important to select a heterogeneous group; define team roles; identify day-to-day, weekly, and monthly team responsibilities; actively participate in facility committees, meetings, and new employee orientation; conduct audits; and schedule project time.