from Michael Andrew Meyer MD : links to complete text of articles dedicated to Quality Assurance, Error Reduction, and Patient Safety, with emphasis as it applies to the clinical practice of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine:

CRITICAL ISSUES:
Patient safety
Accuracy of interpretation
Practice guidelines and/or technical standards
Under- or over-utilization of studies and/or therapy
Appropriateness of therapy
Report turnaround time
Referring physician survey

Read the latest journal articles covering these topics:

Radiographics. 2011 Oct;31(6):1499-509.

Quality initiatives: Quality improvement in radiology: basic principles and tools required to achieve success.

LINK: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21997978

"All imaging departments are expected to establish and maintain effective quality, safety, and performance improvement programs. .... Quality improvement requires a careful, dedicated, and continuously planned effort by a number of skilled and committed team members, with the goal being to do the right thing in a timely fashion in every case. This process can be sustained by offering rewards and celebrating successes, with all lessons learned disseminated throughout the department or organization."

Click here to link to the full text article: http://radiographics.rsna.org/content/31/6/1499.long

Quality improvement efforts can facilitate continuous improvement in safety, performance, and outcomes in the radiology department.

All members of a radiology department must become familiar with the basic tools and methodology of quality improvement to achieve this goal and must be actively involved in helping achieve it.

Quality improvement is an umbrella term that includes (a) quality assurance programs for continuous improvement in quality; (b) processes to improve staff and patient safety; and (c) procedures to improve the clinical, technical, and diagnostic performance of all staff.

In radiology, the focus of quality improvement is to improve the performance of and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, the selection of imaging and procedural services, the quality and safety of healthcare delivered, and the effectiveness and management of all imaging services.

Institutional leadership and support send the message that all quality-related efforts are valued and constitute a central component of the institution's mission.

A just culture recognizes that even competent professionals make mistakes but does not tolerate disregard for risks to patients or misconduct.

Whether one is identifying opportunities or processes for improvement, collecting and analyzing data, identifying contributing factors, or implementing and monitoring countermeasures, it is essential to correctly use the most appropriate tool, since it is possible to manage only that which can be accurately measured.

http://radiographics.rsna.org/content/31/6/1499.long

Quality Assurance in Nuclear Medicine :

from Michael Andrew Meyer MD : links to complete text of articles dedicated to Quality Assurance, Error Reduction, and Patient Safety, with emphasis as it applies to the clinical practice of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine:

Quality initiatives: Quality improvement in radiology: basic principles and tools required to achieve success.

Click here to link to the full text article: http://radiographics.rsna.org/content/31/6/1499.long

Quality improvement efforts can facilitate continuous improvement in safety, performance, and outcomes in the radiology department.