Quality Improvement in Cardiovascular Imaging

• Main Authors: David E. Winchester, MD, MS, R. Beyth, MD, MS
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Compuscript 2019-04-01
• Series: Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications
• Subjects: audit and feedback; cardiovascular; graduate medical education; non-invasive imaging; quality improvement
• Online Access: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cscript/cvia/2019/00000004/00000001/art00001

Implementation of quality improvement (QI) activities is growing in health care settings across the world. Within cardiovascular imaging, areas for improvement include consistency of result reporting, greater patient safety through reductions in radiation exposure, and greater efficiency of care delivery by elimination of wasteful practices and elimination of low-value or rarely appropriate testing. QI in health care is often driven through one of several endorsed frameworks, such as Lean, Six Sigma, and the Model for Improvement. Multiple examples of how to teach QI to medical trainees and physicians have been published. In this narrative review, we explore the growth and impact of QI in cardiovascular imaging, providing specific examples of successful projects, barriers to conducting QI, and rewards of persistent effort toward improving care.