A situational overview of surgical quality and safety in 2010

BackgroundSurgical safety and quality initiatives have now moved to the front of the agenda for contemporary surgery.MethodsSixty-two surgical specialists began to study quality and cost control in 1998, and those efforts grew into a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services–funded pilot study of the Surgical Care Improvement Project in 2004. Subsequent symposia and studies evolved.ResultsA greater awareness of the issues and methods for meaningful improvement of surgical safety in nearly 25,000 specialty surgeries have been described in numerous peer-reviewed publications.ConclusionsSurgeon-initiated efforts have led to marked improvements in multiple specialties and in many small and large hospitals and academic training centers.