Current Environment: Production

About quality and safety

The mission of the Emergency Department Quality Program is to promote the highest quality care for ill and injured children, continually assessing performance against others as well as promoting learning from both within and outside the organization. The program is led by the Quality Committee, a multidisciplinary group of physicians, nurses, administrators, and experts in quality improvement. A major focus for 2022-23 continues to be support of our program of condition-specific clinical pathways; as of April 2022, we have launched 42 such guidelines and are tracking quality measures for each. As a result of pathway use, we have improved the standardization of care around the most common and high-risk conditions while reducing low-value diagnostic tests and treatments. We have launched specific initiatives for improving care of patients with behavioral health problems and complex medical conditions. Our strong quality assurance program also reviews all major procedures and the care of children requiring multiple ED visits. Most recently, we are working to improve the safety and timeliness of medication delivery and examining our care to ensure that it is equitable.

Finally, our quality leaders are defining the standards for high-quality, safe emergency care for children through prominent positions on national committees and through highly regarded peer-reviewed publications.