GUIDELINES FOR CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN THE CARDIAC-CATHETERIZATION LABORATORY

The Laboratory Performance Standards Committee of the Society for Card iac Angiography and Interventions has compiled guidelines for a qualit y improvement program for the cardiac catheterization laboratory. The first step is to identify ''quality indicators'' in order to quantify the results. The indicators must be risk-adjusted to assure validity o f comparative data. The second step is development of a data collectio n process that continues after the patient has left the catheterizatio n laboratory. The third step, data evaluation, requires determination of normal ranges of occurrence rates and identification of adverse eve nts that exceed these rates. An investigation should be undertaken to determine the processes and systems that may produce the undesirable o utcome. The fourth step is creation of a solution to correct the defic iency. This may involve education, administrative intervention, or fee dback. The final step is reassessment of the quality indicators to det ermine if the corrective action has been effective. (C) 1993 Wiley-Lis s, Inc.