Purpose of review: Public recognition of wide variations in surgical outcomes has prompted numerous efforts aimed at measuring and improving quality. Given that many of the most prominent efforts focus on organizational factors, this paper reviews the growing body of evidence underlying these initiatives.
Recent findings: Physician, nurse, and pharmacist staffing are strongly related to outcomes for critically ill surgical patients. New technologic innovation, particularly computerized physician order entry, has the potential to markedly reduce medical errors in this population. Creating an infrastructure for the measurement and improvement of surgical quality also shows significant promise for improving outcomes.
Summary: Several organizational characteristics are strongly related outcomes for critically ill surgical patients. Increasing the number of surgical patients receiving care in hospitals adhering to these organizational practices would save many lives each year.