The Perioperative Quality Improvement Programme (PQIP patient study): protocol for a UK multicentre, prospective cohort study to measure quality of care and outcomes after major surgery.

Introduction: Major surgery accounts for a substantial proportion of health service activity, due not only to the primary procedure, but the longer-term health implications of poor short-term outcome. Data from small studies or from outside the UK indicate that rates of complications and failure to rescue vary between hospitals, as does compliance with best practice processes. Within the UK, there is currently no system for monitoring postoperative complications (other than short-term mortality) in major non-cardiac surgery.

Core outcome set for peripheral regional anesthesia research: a systematic review and Delphi study.

Background/importance: There is heterogeneity among the outcomes used in regional anesthesia research.

Objective: We aimed to produce a core outcome set for regional anesthesia research.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and Delphi study to develop this core outcome set.

Prioritisation of quality indicators for elective perioperative care: a Delphi consensus.

Background: A systematic review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature previously identified over 1200 perioperative structure and process quality indicators. We undertook a Delphi consensus process with the aim of creating a concise list of indicators that experts deemed most important for assessing quality in perioperative care.

Methods: A basic Delphi consensus was completed using an online survey which was distributed to surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, physicians and lay representatives.

Perioperative structure and process quality and safety indicators: a systematic review.

Background: Clinical indicators assess healthcare structures, processes, and outcomes. While used widely, the exact number and level of scientific evidence of these indicators remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the number, type, and evidence base of clinical process and structure indicators currently available for quality and safety measurement in perioperative care.

Measuring quality of recovery-15 after day case surgery.

Background: 'Quality of recovery' scores are patient-reported outcome measures evaluating recovery after surgery and anaesthesia. However, they are not widely used in the clinical or research setting. The Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) is a recently developed, psychometrically tested and validated questionnaire.

Improving the Peri-operative care of Patients by instituting a 'Block Room' for Regional Anaesthesia.

Regional anaesthesia has multiple known benefits over general anaesthesia alone, but requires time and expertise for its application. This study aimed to decrease anaesthetic time and increase total surgical operative time by instituting a 'block room' where regional anaesthesia nerve blocks could be provided by expert anaesthetists in regular scheduled sessions. A baseline audit showed that 2 hours per day was spent on performing nerve blocks.