Toward robust information: data quality and inter-rater reliability in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Background: Data used for evaluating quality of medical care need to be of high reliability to ensure valid quality assessment and benchmarking. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has continually emphasized the collection of highly reliable clinical data through its program infrastructure.

Study Design: We provide a detailed description of the various mechanisms used in ACS NSQIP to assure collection of high quality data, including training of data collectors (surgical clinical reviewers) and ongoing audits of data reliability.

Developing a NSQIP module to measure outcomes in children's surgical care: opportunity and challenge.

Under the guidance of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and in partnership with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) has been developed to improve the quality of surgical care in adults on a national level. Its purpose is to provide reliable, risk-adjusted outcomes data so that surgical quality can be assessed and compared between institutions. Data analysis consists of reporting observed to expected ratios (O/E) for 30-day postoperative mortality and morbidity measurements.

The patient safety in surgery study: background, study design, and patient populations.

Background: The purpose of this article is to describe the background, design, and patient populations of the Patient Safety in Surgery Study, as a preliminary to the articles in this journal that will report the results of the Study.

Study Design: The Patient Safety in Surgery Study was a prospective cohort study. Trained nurses collected preoperative risk factors, operative variables, and 30-day postoperative mortality and morbidity outcomes in patients undergoing major general and vascular operations at 128 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and 14 selected university medical centers between October 1, 2001 and September 30, 2004.