Quality Improvement

UCSF has a robust Quality Improvement program with a special portion for Resident and Fellow driven quality improvement projects. This includes a monetary incentive for projects that reach their goal. 

The Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency QI program is led by Dr. Mary McGrath, who works with residents to develop a yearly QI project. The 2019-2020 year cycle has begun and our current project involves use of the Brief Op Note to communicate to consulting services the post-operative plan to improve communication. In the first quarter, we have reached our goals and will continue to use this tool to promote better communication between teams.

Our 2018-2019 project was an amazing success, which means that each resident received the monetary incentive. Our poster is below, highlighting our project to reduce opiate use through the use of non-opiate adjuncts pre-op. Each patient was given tylenol, gabapentin, or celebrex pre-op through a dedicated protocol that was endorsed by plastic surgery faculty and our anesthesia colleagues. 

Past QI projects have included the development of an ICU Checklist for Free Flap Patients, which has improved communication with ICU staff and facilitated some great saves, and  the Use of the Caprini Score to Reduce VTE Risk.

The second portion of our QI curriculum involves our monthly Morbidity and Mortality Conference, where we discuss complications from the prior month. The presentations are led by reisdents involved in the cases with input from the attending on the case. Dr. McGrath facilitates the conversation and published evidence is presented so we can all learn from each case presented as we progress in our training.