Identifying and improving knowledge deficits of emergency airway management of tracheotomy and laryngectomy patients: a pilot patient safety initiative.

Objectives. To evaluate the knowledge base of hospital staff regarding emergent airway management of tracheotomy and laryngectomy patients, and the impact of the introduction of a bedside airway form. Methods.

Strategies for success: A PDSA analysis of three QI initiatives in critical care.

Background: Implementation of evidence-based quality improvement (QI) initiatives is not without its challenges. Recent experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of three QI initiatives at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF) suggests lessons learned that may be generalizable to other QI initiatives. INITIATIVES: Between December 2002 and May 2006, a ventilator bundle of care and a tight glycemic control (TGC) protocol were implemented in the intensive care units (ICUs), and early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) for patients with severe sepsis or septic shock was implemented in the ICUs and emergency department.