Published: June 27, 2018

From the AAO-HNSF PSQI Committee: Updates from the PSQI Committee

The Patient Safety Quality Improvement (PSQI) Committee, under the leadership of Emily F. Boss, MD, MPH, and C.W. David Chang, MD, has been involved in several key AAO-HNSF initiatives, and Committee members continue to participate at high levels with these projects.


Heather M. Weinreich, MD; Emily F. Boss, MD, MPH; and C.W. David Chang, MD

The Patient Safety Quality Improvement (PSQI) Committee, under the leadership of Emily F. Boss, MD, MPH, and C.W. David Chang, MD, has been involved in several key AAO-HNSF initiatives, and Committee members continue to participate at high levels with these projects.

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For the AAO-HNSF 2018 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Atlanta, Georgia, the Committee submitted five Panel Presentation topics and co-sponsored four additional Panel Presentation topic submissions. As a result, the following will be presented in 2018:

  • Office Equipment Disinfection and Storage: Sound Evidence or Alternative Facts?
  • Demystifying Opioids in Otolaryngology: Facts, Gaps, Patterns, and Alternatives for Pain Control in Common Surgical Procedures
  • Improving Patient Safety with Systems-Based Simulations

The Committee has brought attention to several significant patient safety and Quality Improvement (QI) topics by writing bi-monthly articles for the Bulletin. Recently, Committee members have contributed articles on the Patient Safety Event Reporting Tool (March), Michael E. McCormick, MD and C.W. David Chang, MD; cognitive and implicit bias (May), Karthik Balakrishnan, MD, MPH, Emily F. Boss, MD, MPH,  and C.W. David Chang, MD; and wrong site surgery, which is in this issue of the Bulletin (page 8). Committee members are excited to broaden reader exposure to this effort in the Bulletin by highlighting safety and quality improvement topics impacting otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons.

In addition, the Committee has participated in developing a PSQI tutorial series for Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. The first of the PSQI tutorial series, which is on the topic of national quality metrics and performance measures, was accepted for publication. The Committee plans to contribute to the development of a total of 12 PSQI tutorials.

The PSQI Committee represents the AAO-HNS at the American College of Surgeons Surgical Quality Alliance (SQA) and attends the semiannual SQA meetings with staff. The SQA works on quality issues including measures and reporting across all surgical specialties. Staff and physicians also track issues being addressed across the quality landscape, including work being done by the National Quality Forum and Physician Consortium for Quality Improvement, which impact the specialty. Through all these work products, the PSQI Committee is continuing to lead the charge in raising awareness within the Academy of patient safety and quality improvement issues and is contributing greatly to the advancement of quality and safety within the specialty.


More from July 2018 – Vol. 37, No. 6